Hematite - Goethite iridescent
stock #20.1-140
Covington Prospect, Alleghany County
Virginia,
United States
9.9 x 2.6 x 1.4 CM (cabinet)
price: $680
Spring 2020
Vivid colors and fine form on this older specimen from the Les Hitchings collection, obtained by trade in 1966. A botryoidal stalactitic form this piece comes from Covington, Virginia from an old Manganese prospect near the Peters mountain site which also produced this sort of Hematite. This is a super esthetic piece viewed from any angle and a killer for the location. The name Turgite is commonly used for the colorful "limonites" that are mixtures of Goethite and Hematite usually with the Goethite partly or fully altered to Hematite and showing iridescence. Impossible to find anything like this today on the market, a colorful and choice Virginia specimen.
Ruby Silver crystals (Polybasite) are nicely grouped on the Quartz matrix. Several small Polybasite crystals with classic hexagonal form are present as well, these covered by druzy Chalcopyrite. Esthetic, lustrous and in excellent condition with no visible damage. With strong lighting the translucent ruby color is revealed but under normal display these look like metallic black crystals. Very clean, the polybasite shows well formed independent crystals even though there are clustered in groups.
Tremolite - chatoyant terminated crystals
stock #20.1-137
North Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County
New York,
United States
7.4 x 4.6 x 2.8 CM (cabinet)
price: $330
Spring 2020
St Lawrence County of northern New York state is a legendary classic zone for mineral collectors. From time to time new finds are still made often in the isolated Skarns. This significant Tremolite was collected by Skylar Alverson in 1974 and remained in his collection until his passing. Individual crystals reach 4.4 CM and have deep green translucent to transparent faces some showing chatoyance. There are even a few zones of gem grade which could be faceted. In fine condition, no damage except for a small attachment at the base where it was attached, and a few clean contacts where other crystals had grown. A choice example similar to yet rather different from a small find made in 2019, Tremolite is not often an esthetic mineral and this is quite choice.
Almandine (huge) on Rhyolite Schist
stock #19.1-807
Garnet Hill, Ely, White Pine County
Nevada,
United States
3.1 x 2.9 x 2.4 CM (small miniature/ large thumbnail (toenail))
price: $480
A big, sharp and lustrous Garnet crystal perched in a contrasting light Rhyolite. This crystal is enormous for this locality, it is larger (2.7 CM) than any of the 67 Garnet Hill specimens shown on Mindat, and is fully prefect. The back side of the specimen has another Almandine as well but the crystal on the display side is more impressive. When these were collected some years ago they were all labeled as Spessartine but later testing proved that all are Almandine. The Garnet undamaged even at high magnification, and the bright, lightly striated faces are striking. Aside from being a fine piece for this remarkable locality, it is a choice Almandine from any place.
Rhodochrosite stalactite
stock #20.1-136
Capillitas Mine, Andagala
Catamarca,
Argentina
7.7 x 3.3 x 1.4 CM (cabinet)
price: $390
Spring 2020
A pair of intergrown "stalactite" habit Rhodochrosites with well defined lathlike crystals in stacked arrangement. From the famed mine at Capillitas, which is still the only place on Earth that this form is found. The bottom or base of the pair is broken and shows the concentric banding that is so sought after in the lapidary trade, but the form and larger than average crystals makes this a choice mineral specimen. The color is a pink to orange hue on one edge, the other sides have a secondary coating of a white to grey Manganese oxides. The unusual structure of intersecting fingers makes for an esthetic display piece. In excellent condition, the crystals are undamaged save for the point of attachment.
Quartz (Cumberland habit) with Hematite
stock #18.1-366
Chubb Lake, St. Lawrence County
New York,
United States
2.2 x 1.9 x 1.7 CM (thumbnail)
price: $260
Spring 2020
A USA classic Quartz from Chubb Lake, New York, this is a perfect thumbnail with textbook form. The crystal is complete all around, undamaged, a floater with sharp faces and a sparkling dusting of Hematite in tiny crystals. The Quartz is also included with the same sparkling Hematite which can be seen clearly inside the faces. This locality has been closed for many years and is remarkably similar in its mineralogy to the old British localities of the Cumberland Iron mines. This piece could easily pass as British (and as a very fine piece) but it is actually much more uncommon from this small but significant US locale.
Galena
stock #20.FC-104
Dalnegorsk, Kavalerovo Mining District
Primorsky Kray,
Russia
3.8 x3.6 x 2.5 CM (miniature)
price: $780
Spring 2020
A strange and rare habit, I have only ever seen two of these "cruciform" etched Galenas, and this one is very distinct. The complex crystallization presents very well and the bright luster helps to show the cross off from several angles. The matrix in this case is a pair of Calcite crystals that act as a built in base so the specimen stands on its own. The specimen on close examination shows an impressive series of steps and terraces much like a topographic map where the summit is in the form of a cross.
Elbaite - Indicolite
stock #17.1-549
Barra do Salinas Mining District, Coronel Murta
Minas Gerais,
Brazil
4.9 x 3.5 x 3.4 CM (miniature)
price: $1450
Spring 2020
A complex dark Tourmaline crystal that when backlit explodes with an intense deep indigo blue with a zone of green on the edges. From old finds at the remarkable locality of Barra do Salinas which is well known for very colorful and often deeply etched gem crystals. This specimen is the termination of complex prism, the faces are lustrous and the overall weight is 78 Grams, nearly all of good gem grade. There is old edge chipping most of which has been recrystallized, but despite the imperfections the color and luster make this a striking piece. Without any backlighting this is fairly dark and may look like a schorl at first, but when well lit the color is outstanding.
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