Minerals - Fossils - Geoservices

Jesse and Martha Wellman, Reno Nevada USA

I enjoy the feeling of spotting a crystal lined vug, or seeing for the first time a spectacular specimen. My wife Martha enjoys finding a complete trilobite, a well perserved ammonite, or a pretty mineral too and she enjoys seeing new places when we go on field collecting or specimen buying trips.

Jesse Wellman holding spectacular deep green olivine from Majuba Hill Nevada.
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Martha at Diane's Punchbowel, Central Nevada
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The Thrill of Discovery

Hi!

I live in Reno Nevada on the western edge the Great Basin physiographic province where it joins the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I have a B.S. degree in Geology from C.S.U. Chico. Prior to that I studied geology at U.C.D for almost 3 years. While a student I had a part time job in the thin section prep laboratories at both UC Davis, and C.S.U. Chico.
Then one day at Chico State the department received a mineral collection donated from an estate. Up to that time I had never held in my own hand a spectacularly well-crystallized mineral specimen, and had only imaged them from pictures in magazines. I was struck with awe and wonderment at such beauty. I was also hooked on trying to find for myself minerals that looked that good. I finally achieved that first discovery, that anyone who has experienced it will never forget, when in the fall of 1992 I had exclusive access to a piece of private property near Rocklin California on the western edge of the Auburn area gold fields and proceeded to look for quartz crystals. After numerous visits to old collapsed near surface tunnels, and only collecting the occasional single loose, but still nice quartz point, I found a small portion of a decline that was flooded. On the uncollapsed part of the roof I found a pocket of clay, with the tip of a perfect, water clear quartz crystal poking it's sparkly face out. I proceeded to empty the pocket, which produced over 70 1"x 1/4" perfect, and near perfect quartz points. I also took 2 miniature sized multiple point clusters. Since that time I have never had even a fleeting thought of not collecting minerals. But over time as I have gotten better at finding quality specimens I realized I couldn't keep them all to myself. So between what I collect and what I buy from friends going overseas, you will find here the sharing of my collection.

How the Name Came to Be:

The name is from a mining district located in north-eastern California. It is found between 8000' and 9000' in the north-central Warner mountain range, about 3 miles from the Oregon border, and about 10 miles from the Nevada border. Worked around the turn of the century, the district consists of andesitic and ryolitic volcanic sequences dated in the Oligocene and the Miocene. Hydrothermal silicification and argilization structurally controlled on N 30 degree E normal faults concentrated the gold ore in silicified rhyolites, quartz veins and stock works. The M.S. thesis by Donna G. Keats,1985 also mentions secondary quartz as forming in open-space fillings in fault breccias, and fractures. And it is the first mining district that I ever visited. When I started this business I was orignally calling it "The High Grade District". I am not a full time dealer of $10,000 plus minerals. At least not yet. So I felt the the the name "High Grade Treasures", rather than High Grade District, would be appropriate.

Personal Statement:

This is a mini resume of my geology carrer. Thank you for visiting my web page! So, who am I , and why do I have a web page about minerals? First let me tell you about me. Starting collage in the fall of 1984 at UC Davis, I soon landed a job as an assistant to Norm Winter in the petrography thin section prep lab. I was at Davis for 3 years before I left to do some non-academic exploration that included several seasons on a hot shot wild land fire suppression crew. When I returned to collage, I landed a job running the thin section prep lab at Chico State. It was at this time that a collection of 50 or so superb mineral specimens from an estate were donated to the school for tax purposes. I had known such things existed, but had never really seen the like of what was now before me to look at. I was hooked on collecting crystalline mineral specimens. I graduated in 1992 with a B.S. in geology. After the standard period of initiatory unemployment, I took my first geo job as a mud logger for Tecton-geologic, a geothermal well logging company. There I got to see fresh, less than micromount sized, sometimes well formed, hydrothermal mineral suites (epidote, chlorite, axinite, garnet, pyrite, misc unknowns). I did not stay with that job more than a year though. I did occasional staking, and sampling short assignments until starting a job with Canadian Mining Major, Teck Resources, Inc. I was layed off on December 31st, 1999. I know have a day job in software for a company in the healthcare industory. I also started going occasionally to some nearby localities that I had read about in Lanny Ream's publication, The Mineral News. With my chance meeting of Scott Kleine and Greg Ferdock at the Burris Mine north of Reno in the spring of 1995, my interest in mineral collecting and mineral dealing has grew tremendously. I know work for a water engineering company doing hydrogeology. When at home, I work hard to bring the best quality and price of minerals, fossils and other interesting finds to this page. My wife Martha has shown an interest in jewelry from Mexico and that too will be available. Thank you again for visitn my web page!

Jesse D. Wellman

High Grade Treasures,

On the Web, and at selected shows

Send Jesse Email

Minerals, fossils, and other lapidary and historical items and now jewelry.

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How the Name Came to Be:

Personal Statement:

Send mail to High Grade Treasures with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 8/28/2008 3:00:34 AM High Grade Treasures and High Grade Links

Send mail to High Grade Treasures with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 8/28/2008 3:00:34 AM High Grade Treasures and High Grade Links