A choice rarity, this is a little known Silver specie from a little known locality. This rare Silver-Mercury amalgam mineral is only is found a a handful of locations worldwide and some of the very best are from this small Silver mine in the Atacama of Chile. The location is finished and it is rare to find any examples for sale and super rare to find good, well-developed pieces of this size on matrix. This is a fine piece with distinctive form on a small tuff matrix. The Silver and Luanheite form a thin fanlike metallic structure that shows considerable texture and branching development. Choice.
Azurite
stock #AX-24-049
Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio de Santa Cruz
Sonora,
Mexico
5.3 x 3.8 x 2.2 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $1500
Well-crystalized and a bright, lustrous blue Azurite from the prolific Milpillas Mine of Mexico. These are modern classics and for a few years were rather plentiful having made huge mineral news after the discovery of these. Over the past year or so the supply has begun to dry up, the mine is finished in the Azurite area and these will continue to appreciate. This example is an "electric Blue" type, a middle vintage piece with minimal matrix. This is essentially all Azurite in several crystal habits forming a sculptural cluster.
Rhodochrosite with Pyrite and Quartz
stock #AX-22-047
Wutong Mine, Liubao, Cangwu Co. Wuzoh Pref.
Guangxi Province,
China
5.3 x 3.4 x 2.6 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $440
Clusters of rhomohedral Rhodochrosite crystals showing intense color. This is the most vivid red from China, most of these Rhodos were more pale or pinkish. A good value for a very bright piece. The crystals are moderately well-developed with some cleaves and interruptions. Matrix is made of smaller Rhodos, Quartz crystals and bright golden pyrite that adds a nice contrast.
Grossular -Gem Garnet with minor Diopside
stock #AX-16-549
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos (now Val-des-Sources, Estrie,
Quebec,
Canada
5.1 x 3 x 2.6 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $440
Bright, super lustrous and gem-clear crystals of Grossular on matrix. The great Jeffrey mine produced huge numbers of Garnet specimens but only a small percentage were really choice and even fewer were so clear and bright as these. The main crysal on this piece is just under 1 CM, perfect and nicely striated. This specimen is a quite good value as these are getting both scarce and expensive.
Azurite - clustered tabular crystals
stock #6.2-101
Changmenshan Copper Mine, Jiulang
Jiangxi Province,
China
8.2 x 5.4 x 3.5 CM (cabinet)
price: $660
Rosette-like clusters of tabular Azurite crystals on all sides of a nearly pure Azurite nodule. Overall in good condition, on close exam you may find a few edge rough areas but nothing noticeably distracting. Vivid deep blue color and with a form that is not typical of most Chinese Azurite. This is from mining in the 2007-8 era at Chengmenshan which is a locality that we have not seen any new material from for more than a decade. A very nice Azurite from anyplace and a fine example of this little seen locality.
A fine, sizable and very colorful Quartz specimen from the famed original “cactus” Quartz finds of the late 1980 era. The colors on this range from light violet to deeper purple with orange and red zones. From the collection of Ashley Diack who was very active in the early mining of these unusual Quartz. In fine condition overall there is no visible damage by naked eye. Even with 20x magnification only very tiny rough points can be found on close study. Really attractive from several angles, the main crystal is 5.8 CM tall and has the look of a pagoda or castle turret. This is not a typical “cactus” specimen, it is really impressive in person.
Malachite on Goethite
stock #BP-070
Qinglong Mine, Qinglong Co., Qianxinan Pref.
Guizhou Province,
China
10.1 x 4.3 x 4.2 CM (cabinet)
price: $600
A fine and unusual form, yet an esthetic specimen from a locality not well-known outside of China for such great copper minerals. This piece has both botryoidal and crystalized needles of Malachite arranged in rows on a limonite or Goethite structure. We have not seen much Malachite from this older mine, this piece is by far the best I know of.
Malachite with Chrysocolla
stock #BP-065
L Etoile du Congo Mine (Star of the Congo), Lubumbashi
Shaba,
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
5.6 x 4.8 x .7 CM (cabinet)
price: $400
A sliced section of Malachite stalactite with the rare addition of blue Chrysocolla inside the Malachite structure. An older piece from the Star of the Congo Mine, this is polished on both sides and in fine condition. The stalactites of Malachite from this mine were well-known some time ago and did often have incredible patterns in the cross-sections but the integration of the blue Chrysocolla was very uncommon and especial striking. A choice and unusual Copper secondary specimen and a really nice Congo piece, ex Dr. Barratt Phillips collection.
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