John Betts - Fine Minerals, New York, NY  212-678-1942
Dealers of Fine Minerals and Natural Crystal Clusters since 1989.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

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Returning Items for Refund?

Damaged Packages?

Do you ever give discounts on minerals?
Why should I sign your guestbook?
How come no minerals are marked sold?
How do I know if a mineral is still available?
I don’t see a mineral that you mention in your email notice?
If I request a mineral that is already sold, will you send a substitute?
Email is easier, do I have to use your online order form?
Do you have better specimens available from the same locations?
How can I communicate my credit card number to you without using email?
How are the minerals shipped?
Do you ship minerals internationally?
Do packages ever get lost?
Who pays for shipping?
I see black stripes and mottling in the large photographs, what causes that?
Do you sell wholesale minerals to dealers?
Do you have a store I can visit?
How do you make your photographs?
What is the "File Not Found" error when looking for a page?
I see listings like "Quartz var. Amethyst". What does "var.' mean?
There are too many minerals to choose from, do you make recommendations?
I do not see what I am looking for, do you have other mineral specimens available?
Are your diamond crystals "Conflict-Free"?

Do you ever give discounts on minerals?

Yes, on orders of four or more minerals I will extend a discount of 10% if the total is over $200, 15% if the total is over $400, and 20% if the order is over $600. I cannot provide discounts on individual mineral specimens. I try my best to price the minerals fairly. Unlike other dealers, I do not add 20% to the asking price, so that I can give a discount to every customer.

Why should I sign your guestbook?

If you submit your email address to the guestbook, you will be notified immediately when new minerals are added to my site. This means you get the jump on the casual visitor. Even long time customers don’t know that the new minerals are posted early. Only those on the email list get the opportunity to see the minerals first and that may be the difference between getting the specimen you want or losing out to another customer.

How come no minerals are marked sold, I don’t know what is still available?

Unlike other Internet dealers, I try my best to remove all sold minerals as soon as they are requested. This keeps the loading time for each page to a minimum. Many visitors have complained that they would like to see what sold, but I can't sacrifice loading time for that minority. This won't prevent you from requesting a sold mineral though, it is not uncommon to receive 4 requests for the same specimen on the same day!

How do I know if a mineral is still available?

Assume that if the mineral is pictured in the mineral galleries that it is still available. Upon receipt of your order you will be emailed a confirmation, usually within 24 hours.

I don’t see a mineral that you mention in your email notice?

It sold and was removed from the galleries. You can still see the specimen by going to the "Sorted by Mineral Name" listing and clicking on the link. That page is only revised at the end of the week.

If I request a mineral that is already sold, will you send a substitute?

No. Each mineral specimen is unique. I will never ship a substitute. However, if I have multiple specimens from the same location, you may request an alternate when you submit the order in case the item you wanted has sold. Use the "Comment" area on the order form for requesting alternates.

Email is easier, do I have to use your online order form?

No, email is acceptable. But the order form is instantaneous and email can take 10 minutes to arrive, so it is wise to use the order form. Also, the order form ensures all the required information is provided, it generates the paperwork to process your order, and it expedites shipping.

Do you have better specimens available from the same locations?

No. I may have other specimens available, but not better. I always post the best first. Usually if I have several specimens from the same locality, I will post them to the site all at once to let the customers select their favorite. Only occasionally will I post just one specimen, and then you can count on it being the best currently have available. If a better specimen is offered at a later date, you may trade up.

How can I communicate my credit card number to you without using email?

Good question. This is a concern to many people. The most convenient way is to provide part of your credit card number in the order form and email the remaining information separately. This is fast and secure. Or you may call my office at 1-212-678-1942. If I am not in when you call, leave a message on my confidential voice mail. Make sure you include credit card number, expiration date, and the name on the card. No matter how you communicate the credit card information, make sure you fill out the online order form to ensure prompt service.

How are the minerals shipped?

Via US Postal Service, Priority/First Class. All packages are insured for full value. If you require faster delivery, email me to make special arrangements.

Do you ship minerals internationally?

Yes. One quarter of all sales goes to international destinations. We have shipped to every country imaginable.

Do packages ever get lost?

Yes. Though in all the years doing business only four packages were lost. Insuring the contents guarantees that you are compensated if you unfortunately have your order lost during delivery.

Who pays for shipping?

The customer pays for shipping. When you receive your email confirmation the shipping and insurance charges will be itemized. If you want to avoid shipping charges you may arrange to pick up the specimens at one of the mineral shows I attend.

I see black stripes and mottling in the large photographs, what causes that?

You must be an AOL subscriber. This phenomenon is inherent in AOL due to their proprietary graphics compression program that does not know how to translate images created on advance software. Go to my AOL users page to learn how to turn off AOL’s compression program.

Do you sell wholesale minerals to dealers?

Yes. In large quantities. Minimum order $1000 or 50 specimens. Discounts are negotiated in advance. You must have a resale license / tax exemption from the state you reside in.

Do you have a store I can visit?

No. The mineral business has changed over the years, and a store requires too much overhead cost to make the business profitable. I sell at approximately 10 mineral shows per year and over the Internet. If you are visiting New York City, you can make an appointment to visit my home and see some of the minerals available. However the bulk of my mineral stock is in a warehouse, so please make arrangements in advance so I can guarantee the minerals you are interested in are available.

How do you make your photographs?

I use a Sony MVC FD-83 digital camera with two 50 watt / flood SoLux halogen bulbs for illumination. Minerals are photographed on black glass. The images are cropped, cleaned up, and optimized in Adobe Photoshop 5.0. The image size is reduced to keep the file size about 60k to speed download time. For more details see my article in the March/April, 2001 Rocks & Minerals magazine on Digital Mineral Photography.

What is the "File Not Found" error when looking for a page?

This error should not occur. It usually means there was a server error. Try again and see if the problem reoccurs. If the problem is persistent, email me and I will fix it.

I see listings like "Quartz var. Amethyst". What does "var.' mean?

You should read this as "Quartz, variety Amethyst". The mineral is quartz and that is how all my minerals are listed, by the accepted mineral name. The varietal name is amethyst so that is listed afterwards. Other common varieties of quartz are smoky, citrine, morion, Herkimer Diamond. But they are all composed of quartz. Other minerals have varieties too. Kunzite, hiddenite, emerald, aquamarine, ruby, sapphire are all common varietal names for various minerals.

There are too many minerals to choose from, do you make recommendations?

Yes, I am happy to help and advise you when selecting minerals. Every specimen is unique and I can help judge relative quality or rarity. If you are looking for a gift, I can point you towards some unique specimens or work within your price range.

I do not see what I am looking for, do you have other mineral specimens available?

I have approximately 5000 minerals in my stock. But this site can only hold 300 specimens without slowing loading time. That means I have 4700 other mineral specimens to choose from. All specimens are cataloged in my database making searches and queries easy to handle. Send me your request, and I will respond with a custom listing. One note, even though my database indicates I have a mineral specimen available, it does not mean it can be easily located. It may take a couple of weeks to locate the item you are looking for.

Are your diamond crystals "Conflict-Free"?

Conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds, are diamonds mined by rebels to fund their regional wars. The problem of smuggling has now been solved. Since January 1, 2003, the "Kimberley Process" has been put into place by 70+ diamond-producing countries. In the Kimberley Process, diamonds are sealed at the mine in tamper-proof containers, shipped in sealed containers with documentation of legitimate origin. The process has been an overwhelming success and smuggling uncut diamonds has been drastically reduced from conflict countries. All diamonds sold on this site are warrantied to be conflict-free with Kimberley Process Certificates on file. It should be noted that cut diamonds do not have such controls in place - so the only way you can be assured a diamond is conflict-free is to buy an uncut diamond.

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