Fred Wilda - Diamonds (Venezuela) Art Print

Fred is a self-taught artist, he was raised on a small New England farm in Hadley, Massachusetts. His enthusiasm for the natural world developed when he was a very young child. He began sketching, painting and carving while still in elementary school. When he was a high school senior his art teacher convinced him he should make a career in the art field. Art school was not possible for him because of financial restraints so he decided his only option was to instruct himself. His goal: To become the best artist he could be.

Over the years he established himself in the very competitive field of commercial art winning many regional and national awards for his ideas and designs. During these years he painted landscapes, wildlife and portraits whenever he could make the time. His medium was usually oil paints which he learned to master at an early age but he would occasionally do watercolor or pencil renderings.

In 1997, Fred discovered the world of natural mineral crystals and started developing a collection. He decided to do paintings of the crystals using his talent to capture the essence of their natural beauty. He chose watercolor as his medium, working from actual specimens
whenever possible to render the paintings. His illustrations fall into two categories:
A single specimen painting either with or without a background.
A species category which is created using a part of a specimen or a combination of specimens to portray a typical species.

When an original work is finished a limited edition print series is produced to make the painting available to more people. A print series is usually small, consisting of 30 to 100 signed and numbered prints.

Many Fred Wilda originals are commissioned by collectors, museums and institutions who own specimens that they want to immortalize.

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MINERALS:
We guarantee the mineral specimen you purchase will be the exact item you receive. It is important to us that you enjoy your mineral specimen as much as we enjoyed sourcing it for you. If you want to view a specimen from a certain angle or lighting source we are happy to provide more images/videos at your request.

Minerals over $1,000 include a certificate of authenticity from Invenio Fine Minerals. We only issue a certificate of authenticity for minerals we sell.

Minerals pictured attached to an acrylic base will be delivered attached to the base. We can unmount the specimen for you if you prefer.
We offer basic and custom mineral mounting services, contact us for more info.

MINERAL ART:
Art prints are shipped flat in the United States. International art print orders are shipped rolled in a heavy duty tube. You can order as many prints as you want and the shipping charge stays the same. We are not responsible for prints damaged when you open the package. Please take great care to gently open your package and handle your print. If your print is damaged during shipping please contact us within 24 hours and provide pictures of the packaging

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PURCHASING:
We use Shopify for our online checkout system, Invenio Fine Minerals does not store your personal or banking information outside of the Shopify system. All of our transactions are secure through the Shopify system, if you have any questions please contact us. We offer a 5 day return period on mineral specimens - Specimens must be returned in the original packaging and arrive back to us damage free - Customer pays return shipping - No exceptions!

There are no returns for printed artwork.

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SHIPPING:
We use premium packaging materials to protect mineral specimens, every order is carefully packaged and thoughtfully protected.

Shipping in the United States:
Free shipping in the United States on mineral specimens.

Tracking is included on every purchase
Insurance is optional over $100, please read below

International/Worldwide Shipping:
$30 flat for all international orders
*Certain restrictions and additional charges may apply depending on buyers location*
We only ship orders to the UK and EU with a value over $200 USD

We ship international with GlobalPost - Tracking is included - NO INSURANCE INCLUDED - We are not responsible for packages lost during international shipping!

Invenio Fine Minerals does not cover/process VAT or import fees on international orders

Buyer is responsible for all import taxes and fees.

Insurance is not included on international orders.

US Shipping Insurance:
Insurance is not included on all mineral specimen orders. We insure packages on a case-by-case basis, if you would like to insure your package please contact us.

Damage or Loss:
If your mineral specimen is damaged or lost during shipment we will work with you to compensate you for the issue.

Insurance is included on artwork orders up to $100 - Additional insurance can be purchased for orders over $100. If your print is damaged during shipment we must be notified within 24 hours - Please include pictures of the damaged packaging. We are not responsible for artwork damaged during the unpacking process - Please use great caution when handling your artwork!

If your mineral specimen package arrives damaged please keep ALL of the original packaging as it may be required by the shipping service for an insurance review. Contact us immediately with any issues.

Please unpack your mineral/s with care, we are not responsible for damage during unpacking.