Quartz (very unusual habit)
stock #9-BRA-246
Itabira, Itabira-Nova Era District
Minas Gerais,
Brazil
6.5 x 5.9 CM (cabinet)
price: $160
A very esthetic and very weird quartz! The second generation smoky quartz looks just like a gemmy Cassiterite or a Scheelite from some angles. The crystal is strangely distorted, some faces have grown far out of usual proportions and the whole looks like a very different specie as a result. In any quartz display, this will NOT just blend in! No eye visible damage on the secondary crystal, micro chipping seen at 10X magnification.
A killer Chinese Rhodochrosite that boasts great form and color. Fine Cherry red translucent Rhombs over 2.5 CM contrast with Purple Fluorites and golden Pyrites. In excellent condition and displayable from several angles. You can find Chinese Rhodos now in the market, but this quality is very rare and usually far higher priced. Personally selected in China in 2008, this sold quickly and was recently bought back with a collection.
Not long ago when China was closed to the west, the only fine minerals we knew from there were twinned Cinnabars. They were the worlds best. They were also unobtainable, only seen in old collections or museums, and worth a fortune. That has changed! This is a fine classic style Cinnabar with good translucency nested in dolomite crystals. Well better than average, this displays well with great contrast. The quality is better than a piece that sold in the early 70's for 20K!
Great contrast and color on this Russian Orpiment. A good example of the spherical forms that this locale produced a few years ago. There are several free standing crystals and "sheaves" scattered on this in fine condition. Minor damage near the edges, displays well.
An exceptional and pristine Barite. The locality at Jinkohe was incredibly productive about 5 years ago, with lots of Barites coming out. Most were unimpressive or badly damaged but a few were world class. This piece is undamaged and has 2 main Barites (3.7 and 7.2 CM) with different habits but both with glasslike transparency. Despite being a "white on white" mineral this does display strongly and the delicate form is very fine.
Corundum (Ruby)
stock #10.1-517
Luc Yen
Yen Bai Province,
Vietnam
4.4 x 2.7 CM (miniature)
price: $900
A Ruby specimen with great form and color. Some small gemmy areas and an overall translucence make these intergrown crystals very eyecatching. Some of these crystals are sold in the markets of Yunnan Province, China (this was) and often wrongly labeled as Chinese. There are 3 intergrown crystals on this piece, I first suspected that there was a repair or glue job on it (it looked suspicious) but after testing it seems fully natural. The lower crystal is perfectly doubly terminated but not seen in the photos. A real nice example that did not get cut and has strong esthetic appeal.
Calcite
stock #6.2-712
Fengjiashan Mine (Daye Copper Mine), Edong District, Daye County, Huangs
Hubei,
China
6,8 x 5.5 CM (cabinet)
price: $300
A wonderfully displayed gemmy calcite (4.2 CM across)sits on a small shard of matrix that is dusted with smaller gemmy calcites as well. Great form and condition, the calcite has some glass clear faces and interior and others with a very light frosting. This looks great from any angle, from one side looking like an old English Calcite and from others like a modern Dalngorsk piece. This is from the Daye mine in Hubei, China which has produced a lot of great calcites, but this one is distinctly different than others we have seen.
A big, rich and esthetic specimen presenting a perfect, sharp blue Beryl 4.4 CM across. No damage at all, the top portion of the crystal is gem clear but the rest is translucent "milky" with some white veils. The architecture of this specimen is excellent and the contrast of color and texture is strong. Even with lots of Aquas from Pakistan, this stands out as a very fine and eyecatching specimen. For this quality, the price is very reasonable.
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