In 1978  Forrest Cureton was in  the  Nevada high Desert with his son Michael rock-hounding when they came upon a piece of mineral rock that  they could not identify. Cureton, a mineralogist who lives in Nevada County,  knew he had something special and his wife Barbara says it was found to be a new species and was named Curetonite in his honor.

Click herre to listen to Barbara Cureton

Cureton and his wife Barbara had an exhibit of some of their minerals at the  Nevada County Gem and Mineral Society show at the Fairgrounds last weekend. Over his lifetime  Cureton has amassed a collection of 65-hundred minerals which he recently sold to the University of Arizona for scientific research.  He  says he and his wife Barbara, who’s specialty is meteorites, are often called to foreign countries and museums for their expertise.

Click here to listen to Forrest Cureton

And for the past 17 years Forrest Cureton has been a volunteer for the Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley where he is the buyer of  all the minerals for the gift shop at the park. He invites people to come by and see the items they have for sale.