My favorite mineral is calcite.  Why??  Because it is easy to find and looks nice.  I like that it is shiny.  It always gets picked out of my collection by strangers to get a closer look.

Calcite is a very common mineral.  It makes up approximately 4% of the earth.  It comes in a variety of colors including yellow, orange, pink, blue, red, brown, green, black, grey, and most often various shades of white.  It is also found frequently clear in color.  The crystals are generally rhombohedrons or 3 directional.  They are anywhere from completely translucent to transparent in nature.