Every April a major international event for mineral collectors occurs in New York State—the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium (RMS). The symposium is an activity of the Rochester Academy of Science, one of the oldest such organizations in the United States (http://www.rasny.org). RMS’s mission is to provide an annual, multifaceted event for the exchange of information about specimen mineralogy in all its various aspects. Participants typically include a mix of curators, academics, students, and collectors at all levels of expertise.