Beryl var. Aquamarine - gemmy USA Classic
stock #15.1-686
Mount Antero, Chaffee County
Colorado,
United States
2.4 x 1 x .9 CM (thumbnail)
price: $390
Early summer 2021
A very clear, sharp and lustrous Aquamarine collected in the 1940's by Warren Johannson. From the famed Mt Antero location which is a magnificent, high elevation pegmatite. In fine condition this is a pale green-blue color and fully transparent.
Fluorite - cubo-octahedral crystals on Dolomite
stock #5.1-104
Shangbao Pyrite Mine, Leiyang
Hunan Province,
China
5.4 x 4.8 x 2.9 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $300
Early summer 2021
An early Shangbao specimen with very unusual color. The Fluorite is an iridescent, yellow to orange, and has well-defined faces. The color seems to be due to an oxide coating that is only partly inside the Fluorite. The back of the specimen is cleaved and shows that the Fluorite is colorless inside. Most Shangbao Fluorites have been typical purple and green, so this is very unusual. The cleaved backside keeps the costs of this piece much lower but is not visible on the display side. We have never seen another with this habit/ color from Shangbao.
Brochantite
stock #AX-3-413
Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio de Santa Cruz
Sonora,
Mexico
3.3 x 2.3 x 1.6 CM (thumbnail)
price: $260
Early summer 2021
A sizable thumbnail of Brochantite from the earliest find at Milpillas. This has the mixture of very slender hairlike crystals and the more stout, thicker ones. Excellent color and condition. We saw very few good thumbnails sized pieces of Brochantite from Milpillas as most were quite large. The Brochantites found at this locale were quickly hailed as world-class and set new standards. This small piece is a choice example that is a perfect, tiny part of this important discovery.
Fluorite - USA classic locale
stock #21.1-095
May Stone and Sand Quarry - Fort Wayne, Allen County
Indiana,
United States
5.8 x 4.9 x 4.7 CM (cabinet)
price: $280
Early summer 2021
Gemmy, sharp, pale yellow Fluorites on a blocky Dolomite matrix. The largest crystal is 1.4 CM and has a very glassy luster. This area of Indiana is very different in terms of mineralogy from the famed Southern Illinois Fluorite districts. Water-clear crystals with very flat faces and sharp edges are more typical at this locale and good specimens are far more rare. A nice older piece that is much more lustrous in person.
Cobaltoan Calcite
stock #17.1-752
Bou Azzer District, Tazenakht, Ouarzazate Province
Souss- Massa- Draa Region,
Morocco
7.4 x 7.3 x 4.9 CM (cabinet)
price: $290
Early summer 2021
Vivid magenta-pink crystals of Cobaltoan Calcite clustered in an esthetic mass. The crystals are just over one CM in length (one is 1.6 CM)and are sharp, transparent and have a slightly textured or silky luster. In excellent condition overall, this is from a major find about 6 years ago. Cobaltoan Calcites are really only found in fine specimens at just two localities worldwide and currently neither place has produced specimens for some time. In Morocco there have been only three important larger finds in more than 40 years, and the most recent productive zone is currently flooded. Very good value for color and form.
Sklodowskite on Selenite
stock #AX-10-603
Animas Mine, Francisco Portillo, West Camp, Santa Eulalia Mining Distric
Chihuahua,
Mexico
7.7 x 4.9 x 4.1 CM (cabinet)
price: $480
Early summer 2021
An older Mexican Sklodowskite on a very attractive matrix, two habits of Selenite crystals. The Selenites are both elongated transparent bladed prisms and the classic "rams-horn" form. The bright yellow Sklodowskite is scattered in several spots in acicular crystals in radiating sprays. Intensely fluorescent, under UV it is clear that there is a lot included inside the clear gypsum so most of the piece glows a brilliant green. Looks great in the daylight too. This specie is usually seen as Micro-mounts, and these crystals are also tiny sprays but because of the setting and size, this is a displayable Sklodowskite; the best I have seen from Mexico and as good as can be found worldwide.
Quartz with Fuchsite phantoms
stock #AX-11-184
Anovitra, Ambatofinandrahana
Fianarantsoa Province,
Madagascar
11.5 x 6.7 x 6.1 CM (cabinet)
price: $690
Early summer 2021
Choice, esthetic, colorful and in fine condition. From the single find a few years ago of the Quartz with clear tips and sharp green phantoms inside the terminations. Other green Fuchsite Quartz were found in the past but this unique find had the distinct phantoms clearly visible in the transparent top parts of the crystals, not lower in the milky bodies as was known before. This piece has an array of over a dozen free standing crystals in exceptional condition. Only one small crystal has a little contact on the backside, otherwise the terminations are pristine, undamaged. Not many specimens were recovered in this fine condition especially in this size. A great addition to any Quartz suite or just as an esthetic collection piece.
Smithsonite - multi-color
stock #21.1-094
Choix, Municipio de Choix
Sinaloa,
Mexico
10.3 x 8.4 x 4.9 CM (cabinet)
price: $390
Early summer 2021
Rich color and a wet-looking luster in a sizable specimen from the "golden years" at Choix. The colors range from pink to light violet with some yellow zones as well. Choix produced a wide range of Smithsonite hues which are quite rare in the rest of the world. Sadly the locality is not workable any more but it was once prolific. The surface has the velvety chatoyance and distinct botryoidal form that makes these great specimens. This one also has a fair amount of Smithsonite on the back side though the front as seem is certainly the display side. Choice and better in person.
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