Clear Fluorites (very light green) are the matrix for Native Silver, Acanthite and other silver minerals. Some of the Fluorite is included by these minerals - it is best appreciated with magnification. A single sharp Sphalerite crystal is partially coated with Acanthite and a film of Silver. Micro-crystals that appear to be Polybasite are also noted. A very different sort of Silver specimen!
Sphalerite on Quartz with Calcite
stock #6.2-605
Shuikoushan Lead Zinc Mine, Changning, Hengyang Pref.
Hunan Province,
China
8.1 x 7 CM (cabinet)
price: $400
A very fine, large (3.9 CM) sharp and glassy Sphalerite sits on the matrix of Dolomite coated with Quartz and minor Calcite. When back-lit the Sphalerite glows Orange Red. The crystal is complete with no damage. Very esthetic.
Proustite
stock #7.AE-210
Bou Azzer District, Tazenakht, Ouarzazate Province
Souss- Massa- Draa Region,
Morocco
6.5 x 5.8 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $860
A very rich, aesthetically presented and fine specimen of the rarest of the Ruby Silver minerals, Proustite. A large 4.6 CM crystalized mass of nearly pure Proustite in association with minor Acanthite crystals rises from the matrix. There is no visible damage even under 10x magnification. The individual Proustites are brilliant ruby color, lustrous and well-formed up to 3 mm in size and arranged on clusters. A great piece that shows the specie well from a great Silver locality. While this is not going to compete with the best old German and Chilean examples, it is affordable and pretty. This is one of the best I have seen from Morocco, likely from the Imiter Mine but I can not confirm the locality beyond the Bou Azzer region.
A remarkable piece from the legendary classic Manganite locality of Ilfeld, this piece has many fine, large crystals to 3.4 CM in size standing out from the matrix and showing the Manganite form perfectly. Collected from a rediscovered 15th century dump and adit area in 2006, the site is now closed and only a small number of specimens were recovered. A fantastic Psuedomorph, a fine Ilfeld piece and a great bit of mineral history, this is a "black rock" with a lot of class and form!
Garnet (Andradite -Topazolite)
stock #AC-095
Montaju Mine, Traversella, Turin
Piedmont,
Italy
5.4 x 3.3 CM (miniature)
price: $90
A bright and well-crystallized garnet plate with many translucent dark orange-yellow crystals up to .7 cm. covering the surface. In good condition overall but with some contacted and damaged crystals as seen in the photos.
Fluorite
stock #6.2-581
Xianghuapu Mine, Linwu County, Chenzhou Prefecture
Hunan Province,
China
6 x 5 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $225
Fast becoming a classic, these are glass-clear modified cubes ((cubo-octhedral faces) from the 2004-5 finds at Xianghuapu. By naked eye this is damage free, but with magnification some minor chips can be found, this display well with just a sliver of matrix. This find was prolific and so many good pieces were found that the price was far lower than any other locale. It is now recognized as one of the top discoveries ever made and there is much less of this type to be found on the market. This one has the old price on it, this will be worth far more as the supply dries up.
twinned Calcite on Sphalerite
stock #8.1-270
Elmwood Mine, Carthage, Smith County
Tennessee,
United States
12 x 10 CM (cabinet)
price: $950
Perfect jewel-like amber cognac color Calcites (largest is 7.7 CM) set on a dark red to black matrix of crystallized 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 frog-like crystal. An Elmwood classic that is far better than you could usually expect in this price range.
Is this a Colorado Gwindel? A radiating ball of Goethite crystals sits on a single flattened Quartz crystal composed of several parallel growths that have a pronounced twist. The form is "Gwindel-like" but as the back side is less twisted I am not certain if this can be classified as one. I have asked some Quartz experts and they are divided mostly because the crystal tappers to a wedge like form and is thus not fully typical. Whatever it can be classified as, it is unusual and a Colorado classic locality piece. This was broken and repaired many years ago (it was in a collection by the 1930's) and it is visible on both sides (more so in the back). There is some chipping and damage to the Goethites, but it overall is in good condition.
