Konar Province,
Afghanistan
6.8 x 3.5 CM (cabinet)
price: $380
A very clean pink to green Kunzite (Spodumene) with great form and good pastel colors. Ex John Marshall Collection (with labels). From finds in the early 80's in Kunar this age ensures that the colors you see are stable and will not fade. Bi-colored Spods are rare and they are clearly not irradiated or faked either. In good condition and mostly gem clear inside, a good gem crystal that will not break the bank.
A very good, older specimen with the distinctive form that makes the Guerrero Amethyst world famous. From the "golden years" in the 1930's vintage mining, This is a single crystal with a few side crystals attached presenting the "fat belly" form with good (slightly better than average) color. The phantoms are also quite distinct and are more impressive in person reaching a deep grape purple color at the core. Some typical minor bruises are seen in the photos, and some side crystals have chipping, but these can be hidden by rotating the piece. I would rate this specimen as well above average for color, size and form but not a "super-top" piece (which in this size can be a 20-30K specimen!). A good value for a fine addition for any Mexican collection or quartz suite
Galena with Chalcopyrite
stock #13.1-230
Black Cloud Mine, Iowa Gulch, Leadville
Colorado,
United States
4.4 x 3.5 CM (miniature)
price: $175
Classic older Colorado Galena with well formed, complex cube crystals and a good contrast with the golden Chalcopyrite. Ex Ernie Schlichter, this is in very good condition (no eye visible damages) and quite 3 dimensional, a nice miniature with good luster.
A really esthetic example from the great find of 2012 which was the best in nearly 20 years. This find had many average pieces but very few that were fine. These are now unavailable in this quality and condition. Great color and fine form, these scalenohedral crystals are in some cases hoppered or hollowed cavernous spikes in a radiating cluster. Some damage is noted mostly on the outer edges, but the central main display area is pristine.
Rosasite on Malachite-
stock #AX-4-246
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi
Durango,
Mexico
6.9 X3.9 CM (cabinet)
price: $600
A fine and esthetic "treelike" or cruller specimen of velvety Rosasite on and mixed with malachite. There are some small Calcites as well for a little extra sparkle. Mina Ojuela has produced the best Rosasite known, usually in finds often decades apart. This was from the last find in 2011, mostly low quality but with a few outstanding pieces. I selected this from a small group of the very best. While not large, it has great color, form and eye appeal that make it an affordable yet worthy addition for any collection.
Stibnite
stock #A7-531-(698)
Grosseto Province
Tuscany,
Italy
5 x 4.6 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $260
A nice Italian Stibnite from Grosseto, with a great gunmetal silver luster. Crystals up to 3 CM long are in sprays on a dark sulfide matrix. Our labels from previous collections do not list the mine but this is a very good match for the Pereta mine in Scansano. Mostly undamaged showing a variety of terminations, some minor damage is noted but not easily noticed. Ex Larry White collection 1960's vintage but likely collected long before then. This is much nicer in person
A nice small cabinet piece with well defined yellow ("chrome") Cerussites from finds before 2002 at Daoping. A nice addition is micro areas of Caledonite and Linarite. With magnification some Linarite is seen included in the Cerussite. This mine is world famous for its Pyromorphites and a few other Lead secondary minerals, but it is much less known for its copper secondaries. This fine example combines both elements.
At last, something really new, pretty and quite different from the Deccan Plateau of India! A very few of these were presented in the Fall Denver show, but the dealers who had them did not agree on the exact location and the prices were often very high. It was a short lived sensation as all were sold quickly. This example is above average quality, with crystals to 2.8 CM, bi-colored both a deep apple green and a brown to purple-red. Nice contrast with the matrix and in perfect condition too. The location listed by one dealer is Shiurampur and for now I will use that information pending a verification. A nice addition for any Zeolite or Indian mineral collection!
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