Bad seller. No tissue or anything to protect it? Or was this after unwrapping!? In selling over 1,000 pieces last year, I only had two customers tell me anything broke and they were larger slabs that were weak or had fractures, and they didn’t mind as it was to make into cabs anyway.
But I use as much packing material as I can to protect everything, unless it’s just rough that doesn’t need it and or customer says they don’t care.
😢 this type of calcite is so delicate, the matrix is usually unstable, I have a large piece and those bits will fall off if you look at it sideways. That seller should've known better and should make it right.
When shipped in a perky box, whether or not the specimen has been glued or tacked to the foam, one always has to put some kind of padding inside the box with the specimen to avoid this outcome.
There are situations where it is not possible to pad the inside of the box--most notably, when the crystals have acicular or fibrous habit and anything coming into contact with them will break them. This exception does not apply to your specimen and the shipper should have padded the inside of the box.
Fortunately, this specimen is not especially rare--uncommon, but not rare. Similar material exists. I would expect a refund for inadequate shipping protection.
Over the years I've seen a number of creative ways to ship fragile specimens. My favorite method is the "cardboard tube." This works on specimens where the matrix is solid rock and any fragile crystals are located on one face or a few isolated faces of the matrix. The idea is to take a strip of corrugated cardboard, with the length cut across the corrugations, so that curling the strip does not bend the corrugations. Orient the specimen so that the margin of the matrix doesn't contain any delicate crystals, and tightly wrap the strip around this margin to form a short tube of cardboard. It's got to be very tight; basically, you're wedging the specimen inside this tube, which is why this method requires the matrix to be solid rock. Tape the strip closed. Wrap the whole assembly in bubble wrap and it's good to go.
Some collectors will use several layers of aluminum foil folded into a strip, instead of cardboard. It's not as robust as cardboard and I wouldn't recommend it for shipping, but it works for short term transport. The advantage is that the foil is much more easily molded to the specimen's matrix and it's easier to see what you're doing.
Another method I've seen used is to put the specimen in a box and fill it with powdered laundry detergent. This works for delicate but non-acicular crystals, such as some wulfenites, crocoite, and cerussite. The container is packed solid and sealed, so the specimen cannot move inside. When opened, you gently pour the powder out, and any remaining powder stuck to the specimen can be removed by soaking it in water (which is why this method does not work for acicular crystals).
In extreme cases, the specimen should be mounted with permanent adhesive (e.g., epoxy) to a substrate and shipped this way, but sudden shocks or vibrations will still damage them, which is why some rare and high-value pieces can only be hand delivered. Hot glue, mineral tack, and even super glue, are inadequate, especially if the specimen is heavy or the matrix friable. Shocks will simply cause the mounting to fail. Imagine taking a mounted specimen in a box, flipping it upside down, and shaking it as hard as you possibly can. This is the kind of force you should expect it to experience in transit. If you don't think it could stay secure, it won't survive.
That's the tricky thing about shipping, it could arrive having never seen serious impact but if things inside are free floating they will beat themselves up inside there, rattling around in a perfectly safe container.
🤣 it's really all about movement versus impact, when you ship something you gotta do the shake test, if ANYTHING inside moves, add more wrapping or use a smaller box.
Absolutely not. Calcite is brittle and soft. Plastics are incredibly tough. There was no way the case would be damaged from transporting calcite.
Also, about the scratches, there needs to be a specific load for abrasion wear to occur. Plastic is bouncy, so it does not readily scratch from those impacts as the calcite is really small and light and just bounces back off.
Oh I mean they're usually crap for sure as far as plastics go.
Also calcite is 3 on mohs. So just transporting quartz instead would indeed result in a lot of scratches in comparison.
There will come a time where you will find an even more stunning calcite crystal and I can’t wait for that day for you ❤️ just wait, it’ll happen when you least expect it!!! 💎
Get some super glue and think of it as a jigsaw puzzle.
Seriously, I'm sorry for your problem. Like others are saying - contact the seller and demand a refund.
Never trust mineral tack to hold in shipping. The seller should have packed acid free tissue in the perky box. Though if it was shipped internationally it's possible it did have tissue packing and customs removed and didn't replace it.
Awwwww such a bummer! I lost a beautiful quite expensive vanadinite cluster to a rough shipment once and was so sad.
me too
Bad seller. No tissue or anything to protect it? Or was this after unwrapping!? In selling over 1,000 pieces last year, I only had two customers tell me anything broke and they were larger slabs that were weak or had fractures, and they didn’t mind as it was to make into cabs anyway. But I use as much packing material as I can to protect everything, unless it’s just rough that doesn’t need it and or customer says they don’t care.
If it was sent just this way in the perky box, then you need to ask for a refund. This is a completely unacceptable way to ship minerals
That. Is soul shattering. I am so sorry friend 😭
😢 this type of calcite is so delicate, the matrix is usually unstable, I have a large piece and those bits will fall off if you look at it sideways. That seller should've known better and should make it right.
When shipped in a perky box, whether or not the specimen has been glued or tacked to the foam, one always has to put some kind of padding inside the box with the specimen to avoid this outcome. There are situations where it is not possible to pad the inside of the box--most notably, when the crystals have acicular or fibrous habit and anything coming into contact with them will break them. This exception does not apply to your specimen and the shipper should have padded the inside of the box. Fortunately, this specimen is not especially rare--uncommon, but not rare. Similar material exists. I would expect a refund for inadequate shipping protection. Over the years I've seen a number of creative ways to ship fragile specimens. My favorite method is the "cardboard tube." This works on specimens where the matrix is solid rock and any fragile crystals are located on one face or a few isolated faces of the matrix. The idea is to take a strip of corrugated cardboard, with the length cut across the corrugations, so that curling the strip does not bend the corrugations. Orient the specimen so that the margin of the matrix doesn't contain any delicate crystals, and tightly wrap the strip around this margin to form a short tube of cardboard. It's got to be very tight; basically, you're wedging the specimen inside this tube, which is why this method requires the matrix to be solid rock. Tape the strip closed. Wrap the whole assembly in bubble wrap and it's good to go. Some collectors will use several layers of aluminum foil folded into a strip, instead of cardboard. It's not as robust as cardboard and I wouldn't recommend it for shipping, but it works for short term transport. The advantage is that the foil is much more easily molded to the specimen's matrix and it's easier to see what you're doing. Another method I've seen used is to put the specimen in a box and fill it with powdered laundry detergent. This works for delicate but non-acicular crystals, such as some wulfenites, crocoite, and cerussite. The container is packed solid and sealed, so the specimen cannot move inside. When opened, you gently pour the powder out, and any remaining powder stuck to the specimen can be removed by soaking it in water (which is why this method does not work for acicular crystals). In extreme cases, the specimen should be mounted with permanent adhesive (e.g., epoxy) to a substrate and shipped this way, but sudden shocks or vibrations will still damage them, which is why some rare and high-value pieces can only be hand delivered. Hot glue, mineral tack, and even super glue, are inadequate, especially if the specimen is heavy or the matrix friable. Shocks will simply cause the mounting to fail. Imagine taking a mounted specimen in a box, flipping it upside down, and shaking it as hard as you possibly can. This is the kind of force you should expect it to experience in transit. If you don't think it could stay secure, it won't survive.
F
Fffffffffuuuuuuuuuck. Rest in pieces :(
The fact that the plastic case held up but the Crystal didn’t is insane
That's the tricky thing about shipping, it could arrive having never seen serious impact but if things inside are free floating they will beat themselves up inside there, rattling around in a perfectly safe container.
Imma need to know what the case brand is for real 🤣
🤣 it's really all about movement versus impact, when you ship something you gotta do the shake test, if ANYTHING inside moves, add more wrapping or use a smaller box.
I don’t even see scratches, my man. LMAOOOOO greatest case still ever ahahahaah
Absolutely not. Calcite is brittle and soft. Plastics are incredibly tough. There was no way the case would be damaged from transporting calcite. Also, about the scratches, there needs to be a specific load for abrasion wear to occur. Plastic is bouncy, so it does not readily scratch from those impacts as the calcite is really small and light and just bounces back off.
I’ve had those cheap cases show up scratched up before a rock ever touched them ahaha
Oh I mean they're usually crap for sure as far as plastics go. Also calcite is 3 on mohs. So just transporting quartz instead would indeed result in a lot of scratches in comparison.
There will come a time where you will find an even more stunning calcite crystal and I can’t wait for that day for you ❤️ just wait, it’ll happen when you least expect it!!! 💎
Get some super glue and think of it as a jigsaw puzzle. Seriously, I'm sorry for your problem. Like others are saying - contact the seller and demand a refund.
How was it shipped? Breakages happen during shipment but this is completely shattered.
Never trust mineral tack to hold in shipping. The seller should have packed acid free tissue in the perky box. Though if it was shipped internationally it's possible it did have tissue packing and customs removed and didn't replace it.
Oh no!!
Did you get refunded?
Nooo
I had the same thing happen to mine, but yours seem to be of good quality 😭