Russ Behnke has collected minerals for most of his life. He was an avid field collector along with his father, and spent much of his youth exploring the complex pegmatites in Connecticut.
He has a degree in
Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and he was the first American to export minerals from post Mao China.
He particularly enjoys
gem crystals and lives 90 miles northeast of Manhattan in Meriden, Connecticut.
