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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Congratulations to our Mineral Cup 2026 Champion Quartz! For #MinCup26, we collectively chose a nostalgic beauty of resilience as persistence as our champion. Please celebrate #Quartz, a friend to humans since time immemorial! www.mineralcup.org/about/2026-q...

A single quartz point, deep violet in its core and entirely clear around the outside, with ghostly traces of the crystal's former shape inside, as well as a few tiny bubbles.

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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

As always, thank you to our spectacular volunteers who keep things running! www.mineralcup.org/2026/volunte... We also want to thank their long-suffering families who kept them cozy while they disappeared into a month of arguing over rocks.

mineralcup.org

Organizing Team — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup

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LeSuPer @lesuper.bsky.uy · 03/10/2026

Half way there... This is a 2x2x1 unit cell piece. It will look more geometrically robust with the next layers... I am not planning this model to have the typical #Quartz outer shape because I am just learning to connect the tetrahedra, but I am hoping the 2nd model will 🤞🏻

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Aaron Putnam @aaronputnam.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Congratulations to #quartz. I have learned much from the secrets locked within your lattice. And I will probably suffer from lifelong nightmares that involve dissolving you with HF.

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Sven Kochmann 🇩🇪🇨🇦🇦🇹 @indianalytics.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I love how colour in minerals is mostly because of imperfection of crystal structure (foreign metals, water, shifts of planes, ...) So these kinds of cups are basically "what imperfection is the most beautiful one" which is beautiful! Wonder if there is a lesson in there for humanity 🤔

static.klipy.com

Officer Clawhauser's Adorable 'Awww' Moment

ALT: Officer Clawhauser's Adorable 'Awww' Moment

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Dr. Nina Davtian (she/her/hers) @ninadavtian.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This is how I celebrated the #MinCup26 champion. Congrats #Quartz! Names of the shown quartz varieties in the ALT text.

Selfie (Nina Davtian) taken on 3rd October 2026. In addition to a pink top, Nina wears a necklace with amethyst stones and a silver ring with a smoked quartz stone on her right ring finger.

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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

One of the most frequent daydreams people share with us is a wish to win a specimen of the Champion. This year, you can.

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Bkania @bkania.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

If nothing else, a tenacious individual. When I choose to be. Eddie's #MinCup was a dream come true for me. That is why I campaigned fairly rigorously for #Quartz this year especially. #QuartzDeservesThis I wish to thank anyone and everyone who put up with me. This is part of my #MinCupStory

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N. M. (they/she)⚒️ 🇩🇪 🇳🇱 🇪🇺🏳️‍⚧️🌈 @yirara-bah.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Yay to #TeamQuartz. So glad a properly hard mineral won with all the softies this year. No: No more quartz goodness in future #minCups to come. Boo: Cheating is just lame. Idea: If there are enough winners, what about a winner short mincup just with these?

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Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I can’t think of a more appropriate ending for the 10th Anniversary of #MinCup than Quartz winning, the mineral that started it all! Thank you to @mikamckinnon.bsky.social and the team for all the tireless work you do! The ballot stuffers can stuff it, though!

static.klipy.com

Cherryfurby: Who's Awesome? You're Awesome!

Alt: Cherryfurby: Who's Awesome? You're Awesome!

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speck @notkaspeck.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Had so much fun playing #MinCup26, decided to celebrate by going to the ABQ Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show at the Expo grounds. I was overwhelmed from the moment I walked in the door, but found some cool specimens to buy, including #kyanite and #quartz for the last two winners. www.showabq.com

showabq.com

ABQ Fall Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show

ABQ Fall Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show Inside Expo NM! Free For ALL to Attend! Join Us October 2nd-4th 9am-5pm.

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Jennie Kermode @jenniekermode.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Oh, well done quartz! I have long felt that people were overlooking you in the way that the Oscars tends to overlook actors who are guaranteed to turn in another great performance the following year. For you, this is also a lifetime achievement award.

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Barry Goldman @barrygoldman1.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#MinCup26 Yay quartz. Here r some tiny 'herkimers' growing with calcite in a seam. Helderberg formation Coeymans NY, usa

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Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I’m really pleased to see that FINALLY in its 10th year, Quartz has won the Mineral Cup! #MinCup26 Huge thanks to the tireless @mineralcup.bsky.social team who managed the yearly tournament with their usual flair & aplomb, including having to cope with some ridiculous cheating! Take a moment to

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Transverse Ranges @transverseranges.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Collected at a commercial quartz mine near Hot Springs, Arkansas.

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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

One of the most frequent daydreams people share with us is a wish to win a specimen of the Champion. This year, you can.

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Fossillocator @fossillocator.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Congrats Quartz! With the support of @mineralcup.bsky.social I'm running a raffle for some quartz specimens! There will be 3 winners with the 1st winner getting first choice and so on. Make a donation to AGU's student travel fund (instructions on next post) and gain one entry per $15. 1/2

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LeSuPer @lesuper.bsky.uy · 03/10/2026

Update: I had to back up with my model cause the complexity of what I had done was not allowing me to figure out how to continue. After exploring a VESTA view of 8 unit cells for ~15 min I figured out a simple relation among lines of tetrahedra, so I already made enough lines and will connect them.

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LeSuPer @lesuper.bsky.uy · 02/10/2026

In order to celebrate #Quartz' victory in #MinCup26 a 3D model is in the making (promised during round 1). It gets more complex by the unit and failing one connection will make it glass 😖. At this point very careful steps are being taken so progress is slow. Hopefully I will finish it on Sunday! 🤞🏻

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Helen MC @crystallised-cricket.com · 02/10/2026

Congrats to #Quartz, the literal bedrock of all minerals on Earth, after 10 years on the campaign trail it has got the #MinCup26 title. But a bigger congrats and thanks go to the @mineralcup.bsky.social team, for providing the sparkle we all needed to our social media feeds.

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Kirsten @kjaycee.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Still mourning my beloved #Graphite (but pencils!) but this might be the one time that I am truly okay with the one that beat mine winning it all. Congrats, quartz! Usually I’m super petty about losing, ngl. #MinCup26

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sgrd @selveste.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#MinCup26 er over og kvarts har endelig fått sin velfortjente seier! Takk for innsatsen og interessen, alle sammen, jeg vet organisatorene blir glade hvis vi fyller ut evalueringsskjemaet deres som er her. www.mineralcup.org/2026/players... Nå skal jeg gjøre noe anna ei stund, tror jeg!

mineralcup.org

Annual Mineral Cup Players Survey — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup

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Naturae Lapides @naturaelapides.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Thank you for all, Mineral Cup & Ore Team ! Congratulations Quartz for this well-deserved victory !

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Obsidian licks rocks @i-lick.rocks · 02/10/2026

Congrats to the mineralogical king of planet Earth, the universal SiO₂! Better luck in future years to all the other competitors (asagiite deserves another go after that tooth-clenching 2-vote loss). Thanks for the fun, guys! Looking forward to next year. #MinCup26

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Cian 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (he/him) @cbdawson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

There can only be one! ⚔️* (* per year)

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Craig Jorgensen @bowtiediene.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#MinCup26 Congratulations to #quartz. And nice battle #cuprite. As a chemist and not a geologist I didn't know a lot about cuprite, but I learned a few things and it's probably in my top ten favorite minerals now.

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GHOULology Johnson @geologyjohnson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

For the first time in min cup history, I backed a winner. 😅

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Dots and Lines @dotsandlines.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Hooray for Quartz! A hard-earned win. Thank you to everyone who shared science facts, art, history, poetry, and all that good stuff for #MinCup!

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Celeste Labedz @celestelabedz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Woohoo! Quartz may seem basic to some, but I love how familiar it is. So many people have been blown away by a huge amethyst geode in a museum, bought a rose quartz crystal for their desk just because it's pretty, or had a little white sparkle from a rock catch their eye on a hike. Congratz, quartz!

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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Congratulations, Quartz! After a decade of #MinCup, this key rock-forming mineral of optical tricks is the #MinCup26 Champion! Due to intense manipulation attempts in the final hours, the exact winning margin is still being audited. Please join us tomorrow for celebration!

A clear double-terminated quartz crystal with petroleum inclusions. Credit: John Sobolewski

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Maria Gorick @mariagorick.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The startling white #Quartzite of #Holyhead Mountain. Composed of almost pure #Quartz, this rock was quarried to create the 1.7 mile #Breakwater. For more than 150 years, resilient #Quartz has provided a safe harbour for shipping, enabling travel and trade. #MinCup26 #TeamQuartz

A mountain, composed of white quartzite, overlooks sea cliffs. A small number of houses can be seen on the grassy slopes.

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Carter's Dad @johnmckendry.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

back, it can wait its turn. Do the right thing.

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Carter's Dad @johnmckendry.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

myself from time to time. But now is not the time for that. Cuprite is an OK mineral, it has some interesting molecular structure and it's pretty, but #MinCup26 is a contest for Best Mineral and cuprite does not deserve that title when it's contending with quartz. It is a newcomer and it will be

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Carter's Dad @johnmckendry.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Hey #MinCup26 people: I know there are people who sympathize with the underdog, and people who want to be free thinkers who don't just go along with the crowd, and people who think the new pretty face is better than the old familiar been-around-forever workhorse. I get all that. I have been there

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Eos @eos.org · 01/10/2026

Quartz was the original inspiration to start #MinCup, and (anecdotally) it's an inspiration for many kids to fall in love with the big beautiful world of minerals. #Quartz has done a lot for us! And so, the least we could do is cast our final vote for this abundant—and abundantly stunning!—mineral.

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KAP Jasa - kite team Slovenia @kapjasa.si · 01/10/2026

Choose cool, not boring. Choose mysterious, not plain. Choose special, not ubiquitous. Choose a mineral worthy of winning the #MinCup26. Quartz (once beaten by *water* hahaha) can't handle X2O minerals anyway - so vote for #cuprite! www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

mineralcup.org

Vote in Finals — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup

Vote in Cuprite vs Quartz Credit: Tony Peterson and Harold Moritz

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sgrd @selveste.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Det har vært mye snakk om piezoelektrisitet i kvartsfinalekampen, men for lite om eksponeringsdatering, syns jeg! Stem #quartz i #MinCup26 for O2-atomene i kvartsens krystallstruktur og den forutsigbare måten de gjøres om til berylliumisotoper når de er eksponert for Universet og ikke inni et fjell.

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Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

There has been a lot of talk about piezoelectricity in the match, but little about exposure dating. Vote #quartz in #MinCup26 for the O2 atoms in the quartz crystal structure & the predictable way they are converted into beryllium isotopes when exposed to the Universe and not inside a mountain.

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Dots and Lines @dotsandlines.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Time passes, quartz knows Tick, tick, leaves fall, small hands grow Steady it remains #Quartz #MinPoem #MinCup26

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Dr. Erik Klemetti Gonzalez @eruptions.site · 01/10/2026

I tend to lay low during the Mineral Cup, but I will just leave this Clovis point here for all to enjoy. It ain't cuprite. #MinCup26

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J. Raasch @jraasch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Probably not as exciting as a large crystal clear #quartz crystal. But here’s a photo of sand eroded from the Eau Claire formation behind the Culver’s restaurant in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Vote #Quartz! And now I want fried cheese curds! #MinCup26

Photograph of largely colorless sand grains. Afocal, approximately 18x.

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telescyote 🔭 @cosmicyote.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Less than 2 hrs to vote! #MinCup26 I was conflicted because #cuprite is so neat but imo #quartz deserves it more. Useful, everywhere, and beautiful in so many different forms. Plus I love crystals with inclusions :) And since quartz & cuprite can form together a vote for quartz kinda lets both win!

Quartz with stunning elbaite inclusions at the Smithsonian source: me :)

Quartz with cuprite inclusions! Source: https://www.mineralauctions.com/items/cuprite-included-in-quartz-new-find-99966

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Elysia Macht @elysiamacht.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

LAST chance to vote in #MinCup26. Ignore the preview picture used for cuprite, that's propaganda against its dice cube forms (but vote Quartz to win finally either way). www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... I end up unable to pay as much attention & we (finally?) end w/ great end result rounds (woe)

static.klipy.com

Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) - House of the Dragon

Alt: Daemon Targaryen (played by Matt Smith) saying "I'm presenting you with a choice" in House of the Dragon. He has a long haired white wig and black clothes with elaborate silver clasps on.

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Glenn with 2 Ns 🎃 🏴‍☠️ ♐ @glennwith2ns.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

As a boy scout I used a fist sized piece of quartz and a steel file to spark up a camp fire. 😊

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Dr Grace S Peng @gspeng.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

You have only 7 hours 30 minutes left to vote for quartz and retire it to the hall of fame. Quartz, as rare in the universe as our earth.

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Mike Kling @mikekling9.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Cuprit is great, but quartz is far more versatile Vote Quartz! #followerpower bsky.app/profile/mike...

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Ms "I Want To Eat Your Brain" ugh, no, not YOURS, gross! 🤢 @brainmist.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

OK folks, it's the LAST ROUND to vote in #MinCup2026, a wholesome competition where you don't have to hate reading about the candidates and you'll learn fascinating stuff! #Quartz has a strong lead but plucky #Cuprite 👏 is closing the gap! It's a win either way, but your vote could decide it!

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