Topaz - natural blue crystal
stock #AC-377
Virgem do Lapa
Minas Gerais,
Brazil
5.8 x 5.7 x 3.8 CM (cabinet)
price: $550
A hefty blue Topaz with very good natural color and 188 grams weight. Mid 1960 era vintage crystal, this is quite glassy and has several transparent gem sections. However the crystal is cleaved as seen and has noticeable damage especially on backside / edge so it is a far less expensive piece yet still looks rather nice. This crystal was spared cutting (there is a lot of gem rough inside) and resided in an East Coast collection for nearly a half century. True blue Topaz (not treated or irradiated) is rare world-wide and this more vivid blue color is further limited to a very few localities. Not a piece for perfectionists, but a big and colorful gem crystal at below the gem-rough value for a collector who appreciates color.
Elbaite - gem tourmaline
stock #24.1-303
Cruzeiro Mine, Sao Jose de Safira
Minas Gerais,
Brazil
5 x 1 x .8 CM (miniature)
price: $1300
From the now famous "Lollipop Pocket" at Cruziero Mine, a vivid red to green crystal. This find was remarkable for the intense colors of the red tips in contrast to the green zones. The larger specimens were immediately prized and sold for impressively high prices. There were a few smaller crystals that were much more affordable yet were still choice and representative of the find. This is one of those and a good value, the find was made a few years ago in the Cruziero number 3 workings and was the last of the great finds from that legendary locale. This is in excellent condition, has intense color and some stepped side crystallization as well. This crystal also has the unusual tri-zone coloring, with the bright red termination going to a green zone, with hints of yellow, then returning to a red hue at the base.
Elbaite - Etched scepter crystal
stock #24.1-243-(DK)
Barra do Salinas Mining District, Coronel Murta
Minas Gerais,
Brazil
3.1 x 1.6 x 1.4 (thumbnail)
price: $2990
A very sharp, gem clear and vivid color scepter Tourmaline of the type that made Barra do Salinas famous. This is an older piece and in person far more gemmy and bright than most that are on the market today. It is certainly competition grade and stands out from most others of this material. The stem is well-etched and is also transparent seen through the complex striations. Super esthetic with a bright green cap that contrasts beautifully with the white, pink and red stem. This is still small enough to be a thumbnail but just barely. It is complete, undamaged, doubly terminated and has a display impact much bigger than the small size.
Hyalite opal on Rutile crystals
stock #24.1-311
Novo Horizonte
Bahia,
Brazil
5.2 x .8 x .6 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $360
An amazing and odd specimen with the association of glass-clear Hyalite Opal balls coating the golden to copper color Rutile crystals. From a small find about 2 years ago, these were very much a surprise in the mineral world. As far as I know, this association is unique to this locale, only one example is seen on Mindat and this is certainly a very rare combo. In fine condition, esthetic and the Hyalite is vividly fluorescent as well.
A fine gem crystal with intense blue color, this is an older specimen from the great Barra do Salinas in Brazil. Typical of good Barra Tourmalines, the exterior is etched and has a fibrous look, yet the inside is nearly all flawless gem grade. This has top blue color with bright luster, it is terminated with stepped habit and is undamaged. A small Lepidolite crystal on the side is a nice addition. Choice and better in person.
A pair of terminated transparent Tourmalines from vintage 1980 finds at Coronel Murta (Minas Gerais, Brazil). This Elbaite is also quite dichroic and best appreciated when rotated in front of a polarized light like a computer screen. The color ranges from almost colorless blue hue to a very dark green. In very good condition overall, this is nearly all facet grade clear and has fine well-developed striations. 17.5 grams and quite different from more recent Brazilian Tourmalines. This will fit at an angle in a perky box but not a 1 inch cube.
A perfect radiating disk form of Lepidolite with many small terminations on the outer edge. The color grades from silver in the center to purple at the outer sides. The disk is nestled in a mass of small Quartz crystals and blades of Cleavelandite. An unusual and attractive habit for this Lithium rich Mica, this can certainly be trimmed if desired but this matrix is so nicely crystallized it seems a shame to do so.
Lustrous and gemmy red-brown crystals of Uvite cover a thin matrix. From the famed finds at Brumado, these were and are considered to be some of the best Uvites in the world. Found in the late 1980 era, this piece was from the late Dr. Luis Menezes, a prolific dealer and dedicated mineralogist. These were called simply Uvites when first found but later work showed that few were true pure Uvite, most are partly to fully Fluor-Uvite. No matter which name is used these are quite attractive and with magnification the smaller crystals are more evident and add a lot of flash. The largest crystals on the plate are about 1.2 CM across. A very good example from this modern classic locale.
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