Steve Potvin Collection

Steve is a friend and fellow mineral collector currently living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Steve amassed a sizeable reference collection of a diverse variety of minerals and lapidary materials. One of Steve's specializations was of calcite. Honestly when he first told me about the calcites I was underwhelmed...until I saw them! I did not have any idea how diverse worldwide calcites could be. Steve managed to create an important calcite collection on a reasonable budget bringing together a crazy assortment of shapes, forms and localities. Perhaps the most impressive are the spiky calcites he obtained from Java, Indonesia. As I am told, Steve was working with an Indonesian mineral dealer by video one day and towards the end of their business Steve noted some incredible calcites on a shelf behind the dealer's desk. The dealer apparently had a small mine prospect that intersected a cavity full of one-of-kind calcites, which they eventually collected. Using video, Steve remotely cherry-picked the best 20 specimens from approximately two tonnes of material! This must have been quite a feat, never mind the successful transportation of these delicate masterpieces to Canada. The prospect did not meet local health and safety regulations and so had to be abandoned so no more calcites from that find are expected anytime soon. Rocky Mountain Minerals & Fossils is proud to be offering many of Steve's specimens as he unwinds his collection via our shows and on this website. While most of the Java calcites have already been sold, there are plenty of other minerals from Steve's treasure chest to enjoy! Thank you Steve for the opportunity to work with you!