Cinnabar on Dolomite with Quartz
stock #6.2-043
Chatian Mine, Fenghuang
Hunan Province,
China
6.1 x 3.8 x 3.4 CM (cabinet)
price: $320
new year 2021
A cluster of blocky habit Cinnabar crystals are perched on contrasting Dolomite. The main cluster looks like a single crystal but on close exam it is not, these are inter-grown and aligned much like a twin structure reaching 1.5 CM. Remarkably this is also perfectly damage free under good magnification . Flawless is rare in large Cinnabar as these are quite fragile. Sharp, glassy luster and excellent translucency, the Cinnabar glows a brilliant red if given any backlighting. At one time Chinese Cinnabars were rare classics, the world's best crystals, treasured, nearly priceless and only seen in major museums. That changed around 1990 and good specimens were for a while plentiful. Recently the main mines in Hunan Province have been shut down, these are already getting scarce.
Gypsum v. Selenite - twinned, classic
stock #15.1-1023- (CN353)
Eisleben, Mansfeld Basin
Saxony,
Germany
12 x 4.9 x 4.2 CM (cabinet)
price: $750
new year 2021
Large and with textbook perfect form, this is a killer old German Selenite ex. Lazard Cahn, Charles Noll and others. Lazard Cahn (1865-1940) had a long and highly regarded career as a mineral collector and dealer. His label is vintage 1908-1940, the mine itself is even older, type locale for two species and a classic locale by any definition. The Gypsum is fully transparent, sharp and internal structures and clouds can be clearly seen inside. From some angles the internal structures seem to show a phantom but it is faint. The main crystal twin is doubly terminated and looks fine from any angle but the second photo shows the best view in my opinion.
A cute Erongo combo specimen that has several doubly terminated Aquamarine crystals splayed on a mixed crystalline matrix. The Beryls have some transparency but overall they are a milky translucent. The Erongo Mountains have endless varieties of interesting minerals and produce enough volume that nice things can be found at any price point.
Amethyst
stock #12.1-097
Karur
Tamil Nadu,
India
6.4 x 5.2 x 4.1 CM (cabinet)
price: $200
new year 2021
Deep vivid purple Amethyst in a flower form which is much more rounded or ball like than we usually see. From the amazing finds at Tamil Nadu, the Amethysts contrasts well with the matrix which includes several clusters of small Calcite crystals. The Calcite is fluorescent as well. No damage, and very three dimensional.
Calcite - stacked hexagons
stock #AX-12-440
Charcas
San Luis Potosi,
Mexico
3.8 x 3.4 x 3.3 CM (miniature)
price: $130
new year 2021
A classic habit Calcite from Charcas, Mexico which is a stack of thick (and a few thin) hexagons in a staggered alignment. Vividly fluorescent as well, the luster is bright on the side faces, the flat terminal faces are a pearly matte so much less shiny. The bottom has contacts but there is no damage. Translucent to slightly transparent, the crystals are internally zoned.
Smithsonite with Hemimorphite
stock #0770-JM-4361
Hidden Treasure Mine,Oquirrh Mts. Tooele County
Utah,
United States
7.8 x 6.7 x 3.8 CM (cabinet)
price: $490
new year 2021
Choice old Smithsonite with botryoidal blue-green surface sprinkled with lustrous small Hemimorphite crystals. Ex. John Marshall collection, a fine piece from the Hidden Treasure Mine (Utah); this is more than 40 years old. The matrix is especially nice as it shows the unusual layered stacking of Smithsonite and has spaces between each layer. The Hidden Treasure Mine is just that, - A less well-known or hidden treasure which has produced some fantastic specimens.
Descloizite - stacked crystals
stock #19.1-250
Berg Aukus, Grootfontein District
Otjozondjupa Region,
Namibia
4.7 x 2.2 x 1.6 CM (miniature)
price: $520
new year 2021
Red to brown, lustrous Descloizite crystals arranged in stacked alignments. A classic form and in fantastic condition, these Descloizites are especially bright darker on one side and a less lustrous, more light color on the other. The crystals are translucent, with good back-lighting they glow a warm root-beer hue. On the thin edges the crystals are more red. In excellent condition as seen, this is a really nice esthetic specimen. Berg Aukus is certainly the premier locality for Descloizite, no place else on earth has formed anything close to this fine quality. Far better in person too.
Barite (Baryte)
stock #0625-JM-2848
Rock Candy Mine, Grand Forks, Greenwood Mining Division
British Colombia,
Canada
10.6 x 7.5 x 5.7 CM (cabinet)
price: $390
new year 2021
Sharp transparent Barite crystals rising like a chain of mountains above a sparkling landscape of tiny Barite crystals. Bright yellow-orange color with fine luster from the finds several decades ago at the Rock Candy Mine, British Colombia, Canada. Attractive cabinet sized specimen from the collection of John Marshall (his label is included). Close exam shows a few small rough edges on some crystals but most are quite perfect and sharp. For such a delicate, fragile mineral this is in amazing condition. An excellent example from this locale and a nice Barite from any place.