Prehnite - sharply crystalized
stock #A-16-480
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos (now Val-des-Sources, Estrie,
Quebec,
Canada
2.9 x 1.8 x 1.7 CM (small miniature/ large thumbnail (toenail))
price: $330
Spring 2017
A textbook form presented in a cluster of sharp crystals. Well-crystallized prismatic Prehnite is quite rare and the best in the world are from old finds at the Jeffrey Mine. This specimen is perfect by naked eye with only very tiny contacts and chipping found with 10X magnification. A delicate pale green that looks almost white in some light, this is just a whisker too large to be a thumbnail but could be trimmed to fit if desired. No stains or encrustations, just lustrous bright Prehnite.
SOLD Vesuvianite - hot pink cap
stock #SOLD 17.1-499
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos (now Val-des-Sources, Estrie,
Quebec,
Canada
2.1 x 1.6 x 1.1 CM (thumbnail)
price: $0
Winter 2016-17
An amazing color crystal from the golden years when the Jeffrey Mine was producing the world's best, and most colorful Vesuvianites. Electric purple-pink termination on a small but lustrous crystal. Contact and breakage on the back and underside but clean on the display side of the piece. This is one of the most rare and desirable colors. For anyone building a suite of Jeffrey Vesuvianites (in all imaginable colors) this intense piece is a must.
Intense salmon-orange color Serandite crystals are nicely perched on a contrasting white matrix. From pre 1980 finds at Mt. St Hilare, later specimens were not so bright. The Serandite at the "top" of the piece is doubly terminated, has a few contacts and great luster. Other crystals on the piece are a little cruder and more encased in the matrix, but are sizable. The world's best specimens all came from this quarry and now that it is closed there will be no more. A classic mix of Alkali minerals on this specimen that are actually attractive. Ex S Alverson collection.
Serandite and Aegirine (rare form)
stock #A7-257-(439A)
Mont Saint-Hilaire, Monteregie
Quebec,
Canada
6.9 x 2.6 x 2.4 CM (cabinet)
price: $880
Winter 2016-17
A delicate sculptural Serandite specimen with a delicate salmon color. Ex Larry White collection, this is composed of the uncommon blade-like habit crystals inter-grown in parallel arrangement. Collected in 1980 by Ernie Schlicter, this is unlike most Serandite, the flat crystal form is very rare, and with the mine closed there are no more to be found. The spike-like crystal of Aegirine is a nice accent.
Sperrylite is a scarce Platinum Arsenide that has only been found in good crystals at just 3 locations worldwide. This is an especially nice association piece with both Platinum and Gold on the same specimen. This is an older example from the Vermillion Mine (the type locale) and ranks as one of the very best examples I have seen from this deposit. A series of Gold veins and bleb run through the matrix mostly on the back side. Recent finds at Broken Hammer and earlier finds in Siberia have produced some larger crystals that are are best for the mineral but are also very expensive. This specimen is not of the top caliber but still very good and not priced in the 5 or 6 figures! A sharp, very bright lustrous metallic cube and some complex modified octahedra are nestled on the contrasting Chalcopyrite. Mostly intact and quite fine for the specie and locale.
Pectolite is not usually an attractive mineral and good prismatic crystals are quite rare. This is a strong exception to that rule. More than 25 years ago a series of pockets at the Jeffrey Mine produced some of the most perfect and esthetic specimens of this usually drab mineral. Several crystals are transparent and all others are translucent. A perfect undamaged floater there is no matrix or point of attachment. Outstanding for the specie, choice, very large and rarely available now.
Vesuvianite (deep purple variant)
stock #17.1-502
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos (now Val-des-Sources, Estrie,
Quebec,
Canada
2 x 1.4 x 1.4 CM (thumbnail)
price: $300
Winter 2016-17
Small but intense rich purple Vesuvianite with magenta and dark green areas. The color is deeper and more intense than the computer monitor can render well. The luster is glass-like and the specimen clearly has two generations of growth. Some of the smaller crystals show hoppered terminations. The "matrix" is a blocky crystal of Vesuvianite that shows signs of being recrystallized as well. This is the most uncommon color found at Jeffrey and essentially unknown from any other locale.
Grossular with minor Natrolite
stock #17.1-504
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos (now Val-des-Sources, Estrie,
Quebec,
Canada
3.4 x 3.3 x 2.2 CM (small miniature/ large thumbnail (toenail))
price: $240
Winter 2016-17
A good specimen of a type that is becoming hard to find and often very expensive. This has a nice presentation overall but has damage to some smaller crystals and with magnification more chipping is seen, so it is not for perfectionists. Good value for color, luster and contrast with the light matrix. Shows good isolation of the Garnets too. Far less expensive than an ultra perfect specimen but in normal display looks just as nice.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
