About Us

Hi there! And welcome to MavenRed Minerals--a place to learn, appreciate and build your own collection of minerals, crystals and fossils.

My name is Nicole. I am the owner and creator of MavenRed Minerals. I am many things, among them being a wife, mother, artist, avid reader, and an obsessive mineral collector!

This journey began around 2018 when I was looking for something fun and different to do with my young daughter. I found online that a local mineral and fossil show was taking place near me. I had never been to one before and, in fact, had no idea that these existed. But since our family loves nature and collecting natural objects, and my daughter was obsessed with dinosaurs, I figured she would love to see neat rocks and fossils.

Little did I know that I would end up being way more impressed and captivated than her!

I knew that things like geodes existed. I had even found some before.  I had loved getting velvet bags filled with polished stones from tourist stops when I was younger.  I'd often spend hours in the gravel driveway as a child, looking for rocks with fossils and tiny glittering crystal pockets in them. And I knew about gemstones like sapphires, aquamarines and emeralds. But I had no idea of what these minerals looked like in their raw, natural state.

I was unaware of stunning, intergrowing cubes of richly colored fluorite. I had no idea that cubic pyrite formed naturally like that; no cutting and polishing into perfectly reflective cubes. I had never heard of stibnite, but was captivated by the sleek, silvery, sword-like blades.  Crystals of vanadinite, tanzanite, rhodochrosite, dioptase, wulfenite and azurite left me speechless!

As someone who loves to create art and collect it, these pieces of natural artwork now became something I desired to know more about.

I bought several pieces from the show and then immediately became absorbed in reading and researching more about what I bought. That led me down a rabbit hole that I've never crawled back out of.

I increased my collection substantially and yearly attend several mineral shows.

The highlight of my collecting journey was being able to have several pieces on display at the Tuscan Gem and Mineral Show. I was only able to have this opportunity and honor through the Young Mineral Collectors group. You can check out my post about this group here.

For the Apatite Supergroup display in 2022, I was able to have on display a vanadinite specimen from Mibladen Mining District, Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco; and a mimetite and wulfenite on matrix from the Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Durango, Mexico.

In 2023, the theme of the show was Silica, and for the YMC display I was able to show an amethyst quartz scepter from the Goboboseb Mountains, Brandberg Area, Erongo Region, Namibia.

Back when I first started collecting, I was eager to purchase anything and everything that I could afford.

Now I have decided to focus on collecting calcites and fluorites. Both of these minerals form in a variety of shapes and colors and make collecting a fun adventure.

As I began to refine my own collection, I realized that I had many pieces that I was looking to sell. It also occurred to me that, despite having many interests and enjoying a variety of creative endeavors over the years, I had finally found something that I was truly passionate about. It was a quick and natural decision that I should turn this passion and hobby into a business.

I wanted others to appreciate these works of art as much as I did. I wanted to create a place for people to begin building their own collection, or find that special piece to add to the crystal or mineral collection they already had.

And in March of 2022, MavenRed Minerals was born!

This business was never intended to be a side project, but something that I could use to help connect with others, build a community, and provide support for my family. 

I truly love what I do and look forward to many more years of providing beautiful and fascinating minerals and crystals to others!