Build a Striking Geological Display with the LEGO® Ideas Mineral Collection

Minerals are some of the most beautiful and mystical items in the natural world. Formed over millions of years, they come in an endless array of shapes and colors. Their distinct geometric patterns make them a perfect match for LEGO® bricks, so when fans saw the LEGO Ideas Mineral Collection, they quickly voted it past the ten thousand required votes.

First designed and submitted to LEGO Ideas by fan designer Dario del Frate, aka ddf72, this brand-new set features brick-built models of golden pyrite, purple amethyst, reddish-pink rhodochrosite, blue fluorite, watermelon tourmaline and tangerine quartz, which can be displayed together or separately.

As we release the finished set (we couldn’t resist) into the LEGO Ideas Mineral Collection, we spoke to Jordan Scott, Creative Lead at the LEGO Group, to explore this stunning new set a little more.

A design process millions of years in the making

Each of the minerals featured in the set is based on a real-life mineral, some of which are thought to be millions or even billions of years old. This set could even claim to have the oldest subject matter for any set we’ve ever released.

We asked if Jordan knew much about minerals before starting work on the set.

“I had very little awareness of minerals, but I enjoy visiting the collections in museums whenever I can,” he says. “I tried to research each mineral; how it grows, what iconic properties it has, color variations, etc., to really grasp how distinct each one is.”

Of course, he also accepts that he had a lot of help in the polished (couldn’t resist again) submission from the fan designer, Dario.

“When we saw the original submission, we were really taken aback by how well he managed to capture the intricate details and colors of each of the minerals,” Jordan says. “His second submission, which was the one we focused on, included an elegant display stand which really elevated the minerals to a new level. You could really imagine what it would look like in your home.”

But even after that, there’s a lot of work to be done. So, we asked Jordan to walk us through the design process, especially how he captured the particular colors, shapes and opacity of each mineral.

“Each of the minerals required a slightly different approach,” he says. “It was a challenge to figure out how they would all come together cohesively while also being structurally stable, accurate in color and shape, and fun to build.”

Gradually, however, the minerals began to take shape. But this set isn’t just about capturing the shape and geometry of the geology; it’s also about capturing the bright and distinctive colors.

“We had to figure out the right colors to layer on each other to create new subtle tones,” Jordan says. “The tourmaline proved difficult to build without creating a new brick, so we did, and it has so many uses beyond this product that it’s a fascinating piece to bring to our portfolio.”

Sure is. With all this work, we wanted to know if the final design changed much from the fan submission.

“Comparing these minerals to Dario’s original submission, we changed one completely and tweaked the others,” Jordan says. “Dario had tourmaline, but it was a very black and white build, which wouldn’t stand out as much on our black packaging, so we wanted to bring some more color and went with watermelon tourmaline, which has this beautiful gradient of pink to green. As we then had a green tone covered, we decided to switch out emerald for fluorite to allow for a bluer tone to stand out, and fluorite was one of the minerals that could be almost entirely transparent. Layering the teals and purples under the transparent blue made for a beautiful tone, while some new angular bricks made for a dynamic shape.”

A set that will look stunning on any shelf

The LEGO Ideas Mineral Collection can be displayed together. Still, the freestanding shelving units let you arrange the units however you want, and you can swap the minerals to different shelves to change up your display.

To finish, we asked Jordan if he had a favorite part of the set.

“My favorite part is probably the tourmaline because it was a challenge to get the color right in LEGO bricks,” he says. “It also showcases a new brick, some new color changes, and despite not having the most difficult building techniques compared to others, it beautifully catches the light.”

If that sounds like something you want for your home, get your hands on the LEGO Ideas Mineral Collection.