Crystalline Treasures: The Mineral Heritage of China, is a beautifully illustrated introduction to the collecting of fine minerals from China. The first few chapters provide a general background and history of mineral collecting and of sculptural stone collecting in China, the differences between European-American style collecting and the Chinese orientation, an overview of the history of mining in China and a look at the regional geology of areas favorable to the occurrence of collector-quality minerals in China.

The main section provides photo portfolios (by province) of some of the finest specimens of collectible minerals from each of thirteen Chinese provinces. Over 150 color specimen photos are included. This is followed by a short descriptive essay on the Robert M. Lavinsky collection (the primary source of the specimens pictured) and a brief review of the spectacular “Crystalline Treasures of China” exhibition being held throughout 2013 at the Flandrau Science Center on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson.