click here for a high resolution photo of some of the minerals.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt University alumnus Marc Weill, whose early interest in geology was sidetracked by a career in high finance, is sharing his love of what he calls “nature‘s art” by lending his alma mater part of his extensive collection of gem-quality minerals.
A portion of that collection will be on exhibit outside Room 1103 in the math building of the Stevenson Center on the Vanderbilt campus beginning 4 p.m. Dec. 4.
Weill, who received his bachelor‘s degree in economics and business administration from Vanderbilt in 1978, has assembled an impressive collection of more than 400 precious mineral specimens, including some of the world‘s rarest and most beautiful pieces.
He is lending the university 26 pieces from around the world, including the United States, Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Russia, Brazil, Germany and Italy. Specimens such as quartz, azurite, fluorapophyllite, colbotion, amethyst, ruby, tourmaline and barite offer dazzling displays of orange, blue, green, pink, purple, red and yellow in shapes that in some cases resemble candles, flowers, wire and obelisks.
The pieces will be on display at Vanderbilt through mid-May, said Joseph Mella, director of the Fine Arts Gallery and curator for the exhibit.
“Any collection of this quality is a great opportunity for students to see the shear beauty that nature pulls off,” said David Furbish, chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Services, which will host the exhibit. The minerals also can inspire an interest in how the earth developed and continues to evolve, he said.
Weill, New York City mineral dealer Daniel Trinchillo and Dennis Tanjeloff, owner of Astro Gallery of Gems in New York, will attend the Dec. 4 event to discuss the collection.
Weill began collecting rocks when he was about 10 and had considered becoming a geologist. Instead, after receiving his bachelor‘s degree at Vanderbilt and his MBA from Columbia University, he entered the world of finance. He is the founder and CEO of City Light Capital, a venture investment firm. He picked up his childhood hobby again about five years ago.
The collection is housed in Weill‘s Connecticut home, and, other than annual displays at the Mineralogical Society of America‘s Gem and Mineral Society Show in Tucson, Ariz., has not previously been displayed publicly.
Weill said he is lending part of his collection to Vanderbilt so that young people will discover what he considers another realm of art. “Some people collect paintings,” he said. “I collect nature‘s artwork.”
Furbish said Vanderbilt earth and environmental sciences students will benefit from having the collection on hand. “We‘ll use it as a part of our introductory labs so that students can see specifically high quality minerals in classes.”
In addition, he said he hopes groups of students from area schools will visit the display and become inspired by the minerals‘ beauty.
“If nothing else, we hope to engage youngsters in this topic,” Furbish said. “Earth sciences typically are not taught except a little bit in middle school and in high school as an elective. This is a great opportunity for earth sciences teachers to expose students to an outstanding collection.”
The study of minerals, he said, reveals their chemical composition and “something about the geological setting in which they were formed. … Geologists use minerals as CSI uses fingerprints and DNA,” he said.
And even though the minerals are beautiful, Furbish said, their real significance lies in their helping “us understand Earth‘s history and, implicit in that, in deciphering how Earth works and how it dynamically changes.”
The collection will be on display Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Groups that would like to visit should contact Teri Sparkman in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at 322-2976 or teri.pugh@vanderbilt.edu.
Media contact: Elizabeth P. Latt, (615) 322-NEWS
Elizabeth.p.latt@vanderbilt.edu