This page was created as a way of sharing my appreciation for some valued friends and business partners around the world. The internet makes the concept of the global village real and possible. It is also a chance to share with you and them a little about our mutual appreciation for the beauty of the fossil and mineral world. May this be a bridge to bringing good things to pass for all of us. Привет и добра пажаловать! A good number of years ago while wandering around the Tucson, Arizona International Gem, Mineral and Fossil Shows I met Sergei, Ilya and Friends. This was fortuitous in more ways than one. First, many years ago I did Graduate Studies in Russian Literature and what better way to improve my miserable grasp of the Russian language than to meet up with some real flesh and blood Russians (Простите меня, Сергей и Иля)! Second, my father is an amatuer paleontologist with a wonderful collection of California Ammonites and Sergei and Ilya had a fabulous collection of Pyritized Jurassic Ammonites from classic localities such as Mikhailov and others in Russia. You should have seen the amazement in my Dad's face when I showed him "real" Russian ammonites! Sergei has one around his neck in the picuture above. I don't think I could have gotten away with it but it looked great on him! Over many years I would show up at their Tucson show space to talk Russian, buy ammonites and generally have a good time. A few years back I was disappointed to find out that Ilya, Sergei's son, did not return for the annual Tucson Show. It seems marriage has something to do with it so one cannot be too disappointed. Я поздравлаю им много много успехов и радость в жизни! Over the years following Sergei and I have become the very best of friends, more correctly brothers in spirit, as well as business partners. He has helped me in both small and profound ways as I have tried to do for him. There is no way in the world to thank him enough for his friendship! The following picture was given to me by Sergei and is of one of his collecting trips for fossil sharks teeth in Kazakhstan. The polished pyritized ammonites on the fossil and mineral page of the Carnelian.com store were all done by Sergei in the cold of winter in Moscow. Check them out! |
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