The South African Micromount Society (SAMS) was formed in 1974, specifically to cater for the special needs of micro mineral collectors in South Africa. Bi-monthly meetings are held mainly for those members residing in the Gauteng area, every second Saturday of every odd month, at 14:00 at homes of members. Since 1977, the annual ONE-DAY WORKSHOP has become a permanent fixture on the SAMS calendar and is now usually held in the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria
About five rockhunts are organised annually to sites suited to the collecting of micro mineral material. The quarterly Newsletter “Micro News and Views: has also grown in size over the years. Requests are also received from overseas micromount collectors wishing to exchange micros with South African collectors. These requests are published in the Newsletter.
SAMS is also a founding member of the International Federation of Micromount Societies, the quarterly Newsletter of which is also distributed to members residing in South Africa. (There are also a few overseas collectors who are members of SAMS.
Micromounting offers an exciting avenue of collecting thousands of mineral specimens in a relatively small space and viewing these under a stereo microscope opens up a completely new world of nature.
Further details available from Horst Windisch, P.O. Box 17273, Groenkloof, 0027 (phone 012-4607562) or e-mail: - horstwindisch@freemail.absa.co.za