Permanent Vs Non-Permanent Mounts
Micromounting is about collecting micro materials and mounting them on a pedestal within a specially made box. However, some collectors of micro materials started to oppose permanent mounts which is why many micromounters, especially the beginners may feel confused whom to trust. Both the proponents and opponents of permanent mounts are very persuasive, however, a micro material that is not mounted permanently or sometimes not mounted at all can be hardly defined as micromount. So which is best permanent or non-permanent mount? Let’s see.
Not having your micro materials permanently mounted has its advantages. First of all, it saves you a lot of time for mounting the micro material on a pedestal which is usually a toothpick. It is not a problem to mount one or two specimens but imagine that you have hundreds of them to mount all of a sudden. And no, it is not impossible to find yourself with lots of micro materials at a time, especially if you have just started to collect them. Non-permanent mounts also enable you to take the micro materials in your hand and view them under a microscope from just about all sides which is very difficult when mounted on a pedestal within a box. .
The proponents of the traditional way - permanent mounting often consider non-permanent mounts as cheating or lazy but they do not oppose non-permanent mounts only because they are “against the rules“ of micromounting. They are completely right about the most impressive micro materials being fragile and if not mounted properly, they are at risk of getting seriously damaged. And since the finest pieces of micro materials are not easy to find, it would be a sin to risk them getting damaged because you do not feel like creating permanent mounts. In the end, only permanent mounts and proper labelling enable you to have your collection organized in a way to be able to admire it for many years to come. And only permanent mounts enable you to preserve the beauty of your specimens and protect them from factors that can cause damage to them including dust, moisture and a number of other factors that are sometimes impossible to predict and prevent. For that reason you are highly recommended to take yourself the time and mount your specimens permanently. Non-permanent mounts are acceptable only as a temporary solution if you really do not have the time for mounting at a given moment.
It is relatively easy to collect a large number of impressive micro materials on a budget. However, micromounting should not be viewed as an inexpensive alternative to collecting large specimens. It may be true that collectors of both micro and large specimens share the passion for mineralogy but it is important to be aware that micromounting is not for everyone not even for all mineral enthusiasts which clearly revels the debate about permanent and non-permanent mounts within the micromounting community. Creating permanent mounts is time consuming and requires lots of patience. And for that reason you need to ask yourself whether you are really prepared to dedicate your leisure time to this hobby before starting to collect micro materials.