Atacamite with Libethenite and Hallyosite
stock #22.1-442
Mina La Farola, Cerro Pintado, Tierra Amarilla, Copiopo Province
Atacama Region,
Chile
12.1 x 5.9 x 3.2 CM (cabinet)
price: $280
Fall 22
An older, sizable and well-crystalized specimen of Copper secondary species from this less well-known mine in Chile. Ex. collection of John Roger Mitchell, who obtained this piece in 1983. Such material is impossible to find today, this is both a choice display piece and a remarkable specimen under magnification.
Cassiterite on Ferberite
stock #22.FC-014
Panasquieira Mines, Panasquiera Covilha
Castelo Branco District,
Portugal
4.3 x 3.3 x 1.8 CM (miniature)
price: $850
Fall 22
Very sharp, glassy and partly gemmy, Cassiterite crystals are perched on a crystal of Ferberite. From the famed mine of Panasqueira (Portugal), better known as a great source of Apatite, this is an unusually fine and lustrous specimen of Cassiterite. Some minor Muscovite and Siderite is also present but the main feature is the very fine Cassiterites.
Apatite (Fluorapatite)
stock #AX-29-071
Ghalangy Mine, Mohamed Agency
FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas,
Pakistan
6.4 x 2.8 x 1.7 CM (cabinet)
price: $1400
Fall 22
A large, etched hexagonal crystal of Apatite that is complete and doubly terminated. There is a minor amount of Lepidolite matrix that sets this crystal off nicely. The violet color and lightly stepped faces are especially striking. Good fluorescence and no damage seen even under good magnification. From a find in 2016, this crystal has unusually fine definition, large size and elongation far better than others we had seen. A choice purple Apatite from anyplace and excellent for this find.
Mimetite with minor Wulfenite
stock #22.1-127
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi
Durango,
Mexico
4.9 x 3.2 x 2.6 CM (miniature)
price: $500
Fall 22
Large (for the specie) and well-isolated balls of Mimetite in an attractive cluster. From the great Mina Ojuela, the larger balls exceed 1 CM in diameter and have excellent color and satiny luster. Some tiny pointed habit orange Wulfenites are present as well, but this is really a Mimetite in fine classic form. In excellent condition (no visible damage or bruising) this is a choice piece from the 1980 vintage finds that is not like any of the more recent Mimetites from here.
Fluorite
stock #22.1-249
Elmwood Mine, Carthage, Smith County
Tennessee,
United States
4.2 x 2.4 2.2 CM (miniature)
price: $180
Fall 22
A cluster of sharp blue-purple cubes on a shard of Dolomite matrix. The front of the matrix is coated with a sparkling druse of white to colorless Calcites which adds a nice contrast to the Fluorite. A cute miniature in very good condition, there is some very tiny cleaves not easy to see that are present, but from the logical display angle these are not seen at all. A relatively affordable esthetic piece in this size.
Bromian Chlorargyrite (Embolite)
stock #0591-JM-3253
Broken Hill, Yancowinna County
New South Wales,
Australia
7.5 x 5.2 x 3 CM (cabinet)
price: $1500
Fall 22
A fine and super well-crystalized cabinet specimen of this rare Silver Halide. Ex. John Marshall collection, from the famed Broken Hill of Australia which produced the very best of these long ago. This has greenish to yellow waxy crystals standing on massive matrix. Some epitaxial clustering and hoppered stacking of the crystals (see the last photo) is unusual and distinctive. A hefty specimen in hand, the crystals are also unusually large for the specie. John obtained this from Ernie Schlichter in 1994, labels and collection card are included. Formerly known as Embolite, this is certainly a very old piece, these were found from the early 1900's to about 1940. Super rich and rarely available in this size and quality.
Erythrite
stock #22.1-547
Aghbar Mine, Aghbar, Agdz Cercle, Zagora Province
Draa-Tafilalet Region,
Morocco
5 x 3 x 2.7 CM (miniature)
price: $950
Fall 22
Vivid and sharp leafy crystals of red-purple Erythrite in very fine condition. This has a bright silky luster and the crystals are translucent to transparent when backlit. The largest crystals in the cluster are 2 CM across and there is no eye-visible damage on the main crystals. There are several very strong display angles. This type of Moroccan Erythrites are certainly the best in the world, in fact there are very few localities for good Erythrite crystals worldwide. Only the old German specimens come close to these in quality but they are rarely this well-defined and are always very expensive. The production is sporadic and sometimes years will pass with no new finds. This is from an early 2022 find and is far more esthetic than most.
Stellerite balls on Albite
stock #22.1-611
Tatatila Municipality
Veracruz,
Mexico
5.8 x 3.8 x 2.0 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $390
Fall 22
From a small new find in Vera Cruz (Mexico) this is an excellent example of esthetic orange balls perched on contrasting white Albite crystals. These specimens look a lot like those from a find in Kazakhstan 20 years ago, but on close inspection are really quite different. This is a particularly nice piece, well above average with the best bright color and in excellent condition as seen. All the balls are complete except one on the edge that has a contact on the backside (not visible on display) the contact shows the radial crystal structure very well.