A beautiful glassy spray of powder blue crystals radiating upward from a massive base. This is a very old specimen from the classic Sulfur locality that has been mined for many centuries. This type of celestite with the blue color has sometimes been labeled as Barite but often on analysis is found to be Celestite with some Barium, The piece is attractive despite chips and damage to a few crystals. Very uncommon to find material this attractive on the market, the blue color is especially desirable.
From the most famous of Epidote localities this is a cabinet sized crystalized example. This is NOT a pristine, perfect piece, since great specimens of this sort can be incredibly expensive, this one is very affordable. Many epidode crystals are broken but some prisms are 2 CM in length, witha few clear apatites scattered in the mix. Some artfull trimming could improve this if desired but it is offered as is. A good reference piece with an old Shortmann label it was priced at $7.50 in the 1950's which was a sizable sum then!
Twinned Calcite on Sphalerite
stock #8.1-270
Elmwood Mine, Carthage
Tennessee,
United States
12 x 10 CM (cabinet)
price: $1250
Perfect jewel-like amber cognac color calcites (largest is 7.7 CM) set on a dark red to black matrix of crystalized sphalerite. No damage and only one tiny contact on one of the smaller calcites, this is a pristine piece that has top notch luster. The main crystal is the sort of twin sometimes described as a "frog" where one half of the twinned pair develops selectively and makes a froglike crystal. An Elmwood classic that is far better than you could usually expect in this price range.
Spessartine (Garnet group)
stock #8.1-302 AC
Santa Rosa
California,
United States
2.8 x 2.3 CM (thumbnail)
price: $125
An old collection item labeled Santa Rosa that is composed of deep red-purple garnets oriented together ina geometric cluster. I can not find much information on this locality but a single vague reference for Santa Rosa of Sonoma County has been noted as a source of Spessartine. This looks very much like some garnets that are classic for the San Diego area pegmatites but the stacking is rather unusual. Based on the provenance I am inclined to believe the label is accuarate. The piece itself is attractive, in good but not perfect condition. There is slight chipping and edgewear but overall this still looks fine and has a good glow as well.
SOLD Celestite Vug in pink Dolomite
stock #SOLD 8.1-303 AC
Grube Gute Gottes, Scharfenburg
Meisen, Sachsen,
Germany
7.8 x 5.3 CM (cabinet)
price: $0
A very pretty, sparkling vug of sharp, pristine Celestites from this old German Silver mine. The specimen is in fine condition and is from a collection established before 1930 so it is certainly an old piece. The vug is about 5 CM across and the crystals are all perfectly clear blue prisms with glassy luster. Nice color contrast with the pink Dolomite.
Calcite twin on Dolomite
stock #8.1-271
Elmwood Mine, Carthage
Tennessee,
United States
15.5 x 12.5 x 12 CM (cabinet)
price: $475
A huge (13 x 8.5 CM) gemmy calcite with the rich Cognac color that makes Elmwood so desireable. This sits esthetically on a bedrock dolomite matrix with a few small fluorites adding sparkle to it. It must be said that the crystal is not perfect, there is edge wear, a backside cleave and some contacts on the back, but from the right angles this is not a visual problem. The price is far less as a result. The crystal really glows with any sort of backlighting, the photos here are not backlit, and the imperfections are easier to see this way. A very pretty piece that is not right for an absolute perfectionist but is a super bargain for anyone who appreciates fine calcites or any beautiful minerals!
Chabazite with Stilbite
stock #8.1-298 AC
The Storr, Portee, Trotternish
Isle of Skye, NW Highlands, Inverness-Shire,
Scotland
6.6x 5.5 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $200
This is the most attractive and well crystallized Scottish Chabazite I have ever seen. With an old Shortmann label as a bonus, the glasslike Chabazites are up to 1.8 CM. Very clean from damage, sharp and lusterous- this was sourced from a pre war European collection. A great addition to any UK collection or a worldwide Zeolite suite. The 1940's price of $2.50 was a quite substantial for a small specimen at that time!
A very old piece from a classic locality that is also very attractive. A dense mass of rich red garnets that are mostly with top luster are the main event with micro crystals of Clear to white diopside and several good examples of the Clinochlore variety Penninite. Many of the garnets are quite perfect and sparkling up to 3mm or so, but there is damage to some especially at the perifery. Still very attractive and a true classic at a reasonable price for one of these.
