Mineral Masterpiece captures the essence of fine gem and mineral treasures.

Thomas Spann has been chronicling some of the world’s finest specimens since 2013, and his work can be found in numerous books, periodicals, and all over social media. Thomas has worked on projects with many of the TFMG dealers.

He grew up in Connecticut with a love for the outdoors, and family lore has it that he spent most of his time on hikes looking at the ground for specimens. As a kid, he read every book on rocks and minerals he could get his hands on, but as a teenager his interest waned.

In 2008, a visit to family rekindled that passion. By that time, Jim and Gail Spann had begun collecting in earnest and now have one of the finest collections in the world. Thomas completed his Graduate Gemologist degree that fall at GIA, though market conditions nudged him away from gems and toward minerals. For the handful of years that followed, he managed Mineral Masterpiece, focusing on aesthetic small cabinet and miniature specimens sold mostly through his website. This honed his photography skills, and before long, he was receiving regular requests to take photographs for people all over the world.

Mineral photography is quite a fascinating process filled with several tensions. It is inherently an artistic endeavor, and each photographer brings a unique vision as they make decisions about angles and emphasis, lighting and background shading. At the same time, it is also a documentary process, creating a record of these natural beauties for generations to come.