A fine old English "oakstone" a sliced part of a Barite Stalactite with one face polished. The concentric structure is well-exposed on the polished face, it is quite chantoyant. From the collection of Dr. Warren Johansson, it was a gift to him from Al Shattuck in 1932.
A German classic specimen covered on all faces with very tiny crystals and crusts of Erythrite. This is the type locality for the mineral though it is not very common there. The underlying matrix is a heavy Cobalt rich mass that probably is Skutterudite or similar since some tiny cubic shapes can be made out under the crusts. A rich "Cobalt bloom" specimen that has some nice sparkle under strong lighting.
Duftite on Calcite
stock #15.1-136
Tsumeb
Otjikoto Region,
Namibia
3.5 x 3.2 x 2.2 CM (small miniature/ large thumbnail (toenail))
price: $320
new year 2021
Calcite rhombs in a jumbled cluster richly encrusted with Duftite some of which is the matrix for a second generation of tiny Calcites that add a lot of sparkle. Classic Tsumeb piece, in very good condition, the Duftite is in well-formed balls and looks especially bright under magnification.
Historic Meteorites with impressive provenance. From George.F. Kunz collection to Amherst college to Warren Johansson (in 1931). Three fragments of Iron meteorite total weight of 19.9 grams, the largest 2.6 CM across, these each have a distinctly different look, a very interesting suite. From the famed May 10th 1879 fall at Estherville, Iowa. Two of the pieces have had some areas revealing the bright metallic interior. This was a witnessed fall and was quite reknowned at that time. The historic accounts seen on line differ in many details (like this was a 744 pound mass or a 455 pound mass). All accounts do agree this was an exploding meteorite and a spectacular event. Verified fragments are quite rare and well valued.
Brewsterite - classic, type locality
stock #20.1-714
Bellsgrove Mine, Strontian
Northwest Highlands,
Scotland
8.9 x 6.3 x 3.5 CM (cabinet)
price: $280
new year 2021
A sizable and very fine cabinet specimen of well-crystallized Brewsterite from the type area for the specie. Brewsterite is the less common analogue of Heulandite and can be Sr or Ba dominant. This specimen is almost certainly the Sr dominant version though not tested. This has hundreds of well-formed crystals which are transparent to translucent and very lustrous. Ex Hitchings collection this is an older specimen that was obtained in trade. Excellent undamaged condition.
A cute and colorful miniature from the great Mina Ojuela. Transparent Calcites are included by a fibrous Malachite and sit on a mixture of botryoidal Conichalcite and Malachite. This could be trimmed to a thumbnail size but this is very nice as is. In fine condition as seen, this is a very good example of an esthetic but affordable specimen, carefully selected from amongst a huge number of average level specimens.
Scorodite - classic Mexican
stock #10.1-330
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi
Durango,
Mexico
6.7 x 5.8 x 4.8 CM (cabinet)
price: $450
new year 2021
A hefty cabinet-sized Scorodite specimen with very lustrous crystals from the earlier find at Mina Ojuela. At first glance the Scorodites look dark almost black but under strong lighting they are a dark transparent blue with a few green and yellow-green crystals mixed in. Unlike many Scorodites from Ojuela this does not have a crumbly matrix, this is a solid piece with no hint of degeneration. An excellent value, this piece from the earlier find in the 1970's is very different from the 2015-16 find, and these are rare on the market.
Adamite - purple
stock #17.1-548
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi
Durango,
Mexico
4.4 x 3.7 x 3 CM (miniature)
price: $240
new year 2021
A pretty yet affordable miniature of the rarest color of Adamite, a good deep magenta-purple. Ex Les Hitchings collection, this has larger crystals with purple to white zoning and smaller crystals with a more vivid purple. As is typical of these Adamites the color is more concentrated and vivid at the terminations. The matrix holds a bonus some micro slender Legrandite crystals on the backside in a small vug of the Goethite matrix.
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