Bargain Gallery:
Minerals Under $50
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ELBA10-1 Elbaite with Lepidolite $48 SOLD
Virgem
da Lapa, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
4.5 cm x 1.6 cm x 1.2 cm
This
piece is a doubly-terminated cluster of beautifully translucent, deep-green
Elbaite : Na(Al1.5Li1.5)Al6(OH)3(OH)(BO3)3Si6O18
accented with interesting wheat-sheaves of Lepidolite. Lepidolite
is now considered a member of the Polylithionite - Trilithionite series
as defined by these two end-members: KLi2Al[(F,OH)2|Si4O10]
- K(Li,Al)3[(F,OH)2|AlSi3O10].
This piece was in my collection, and I never noticed until now
that it has a small amount of damage on the back side only, near the
top termination as visible in the second photo, hence the low price.
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FL5-09b Fluorite with Natural Etching $18
Denton
Mine, Goose Creek Mine Group
Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, Hardin County, Illinois
2.3 cm x 2.1 cm x 1.4 cm
On the front side, natural etching has turned these Fluorites (CaF2) into thin, tabular crystals by preferentially removing material parallel to the crystal faces - note the thin edge that comes straight out towards the camera in the first photo. This highlights the dark phantom center that some of them have, as you can see by looking at the same feature in the second photo. On the back side, the etching has proceeded in the more usual fashion, working the Fluorite into finely grained and textured surfaces.
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BPW9-11 Barite on Petrified Wood (A. Arizonicum) $18
Petrified
Wood Ranch, Puerco Ridge, Navajo Co., Arizona
3.6 cm x 1.2 cm x 1.0 cm
Feathery white Barite (BaSO4) on brick-red petrified wood from Araucaria Arizonicum, a conifer that is the Arizona state fossil. The Barite fluoresces cream color under both LWUV and SWUV. This specimen was collected by Ken Gochenour a couple of years ago.
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MLC5-23 Calcite var. "Melicaria" $35 SOLD
Julimes,
Mun. de Julimes, Chihuahua, Mexico
7.5 cm x 6.3 cm x 5.5 cm
Benny Fenn brought these strange Calcites (CaCO3) in from Mexico and said that they form in cracks inside mudballs, similarly to the way septarian nodules (like the polished ones that end up as bookends) form. The Melicaria have very weak, dull orange-red fluorescence under a very strong SWUV source and even weaker under LWUV.
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MLC5-24 Calcite var. "Melicaria" $38 SOLD
Julimes,
Mun. de Julimes, Chihuahua, Mexico
9.0 cm x 9.0 cm x 5.5 cm
Also available:
Four more in the 2 - 3 cm range for $15 - $18
Benny Fenn brought these strange Calcites (CaCO3) in from Mexico and said that they form in cracks inside mudballs, similarly to the way septarian nodules (like the polished ones that end up as bookends) form. The Melicaria have weak, dull orange-red fluorescence under a very strong SWUV source and even weaker under LWUV. They aren't going to win any beauty contests, but I find these Melicaria fascinating!
MLC5-20 Calcite
var. "Melicaria" $35
Julimes,
Mun. de Julimes, Chihuahua, Mexico
7.0 cm x 5.8 cm x 3.5 cm
Benny Fenn brought these strange Calcites (CaCO3) in from Mexico and said that they form in cracks inside mudballs, similarly to the way septarian nodules (like the polished ones that end up as bookends) form. The Melicaria have weak, dull orange-red fluorescence under a very strong SWUV source and even weaker under LWUV.
click on image
for larger view
MLC5-21 Calcite var. "Melicaria" $25
Julimes,
Mun. de Julimes, Chihuahua, Mexico
6.7 cm x 6.7 cm x 3.7 cm
Benny Fenn brought these strange Calcites (CaCO3) in from Mexico and said that they form in cracks inside mudballs, similarly to the way septarian nodules (like the polished ones that end up as bookends) form. The Melicaria have weak, dull orange-red fluorescence under a very strong SWUV source and even weaker under LWUV.
click on image
for larger view
CER6-3 Cerussite
$48
Chenzhou area, Hunan, Central South Region, China
4.2 x 2.3 x 1.5 cm
A limited, one-time find of Cerussite (PbCO3) with Chrysocolla staining - a unique color and shape for the Cerussite crystals.
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CRE5-8 Creedite
$49.50
Mina Davidad, Rodeo, Durango, Mexico
5.0 x 4.2 x 3.4 cm
The most desirable form of Creedite (Ca3[SO4|Al2F8(OH)2] · 2H2O), in a sparkly, spiky orange ball (the photo is too red). It will definitely attract attention to your mineral display .
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on images for larger view
BAR5-30 Barite $22
Cavradi gorge, Curnera Valley, Tujetsch, Grischun, Switzerland
3.5 x 2.7 x 1.6 cm
By now it must be obvious that I really like Barite (BaSO4). This is a neat little piece from a famous locality that few people would ever think to associate with Barite.
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AZ10-7 Azurite $22 SOLD
Malbunka
Copper Mine, Areyonga, Alice Springs, Gardiner Range, Northern Territory,
Australia
6.0 cm x 4.2 cm x 0.4 cm
Azurite (Cu3[OH|CO3]2) likes to form concretions, as in the famous geodes from the Blueball Mine in Arizona and many other localities. In this case, however, the concretion was forced to grow in a flattened manner due to the layering of Kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) siltstone, producing an Azurite unlike any found elsewhere in the world. The edges of this piece appear to be intact except at the bottom.
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SM5-2 Smithsonite
$42 RESERVED
79 Mine, Gila County Arizona
4.6 x 3.6 x 1.8 cm
Decent-sized, apple-green Smithsonite (ZnCO3) crystals - NOT botryoidal masses as most of the specimens are - richly cover three sides of a shard of matrix from a very famous mine.
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ANG8-1 Anglesite
in Sulfur $42 SOLD
Erupcion Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico
4.7 x 4.0 x 2.3 cm
Everyone knows Anglesite (PbSO4) from Tsumeb or Morocco, but Mexico? Well, that's because these pieces are very old and don't get recycled often. The Anglesite crystals are the tan rhombs.
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CAL8-3 Calcite
with Aragonite $35 SOLD
Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia
3.4 x 2.4 x 1.9 cm
I bought this Calcite for my collection from Viacheslav Kalachev many years ago. It is rather unusual for an Aragonite (CaCO3) and a Calcite (CaCO3) to be present in the same specimen, since they form under different conditions (they are polymorphs). But if any place can produce an Aragonite included in a Calcite, it is Dal'negorsk, the Calcite-collector's heaven.
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CHBZ9-2 Chabazite-Ca
and Calcite $42
Upper New Street
Quarry, Paterson, New Jersey
ex. A Stevenson #20
2.7 x 2.5 x 1.7 cm
A classic thumbnail Chabazite-Ca ((Ca,K2,Na2)2[Al2Si4O12]2· 12H2O) on Calcite from the collection of A. Stevenson.
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for larger view
This
specimen is sold, but I have other similar ones.
HC9-2 Celadonite in Heulandite-Ca $18
Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India
3.4 x 2.5 x 1.8 cm
A famous, but now largely played out, occurrence of the rare mineral Celadonite: (K(Mg,Fe2+)(Fe3+,Al)Si4O10(OH)2) included in the zeolite Heulandite-Ca: (Ca,Na)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12H2O. This specimen consists of one large, compound crystal, which is unusual since most of these specimens are jumbly clusters.
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for larger view
ANA9-1 Anatase $18
Kharan, Baluchistan, Pakistan
3.0 x 2.5 x 1.6 cm; crystal size = 6 mm
A sharp, chunky Anatase (TiO2) crystal (the dark form on the top edge) on a matrix with Chlorite-included Quartz. The big-name dealers were getting high prices for these after the 2005 find.
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ELBA5-5 Elbaite
$49.50
Cruzeiro Mine, Santa Maria do Suaçui, Rio Doce, Minas Gerais, Brazil
4.2 x 3.1 x 2.5 cm
A beautiful cluster of Elbaite (Na(Al1.5Li1.5)Al6(OH)3(OH)(BO3)3Si6O18). Some of the crystals have blue caps - one is visible in the center of the photo.
click on image
for larger view
This
specimen is sold, but I have another similar one.
STIL9-1 Stilbite-Ca
with Siliceous Sinter $28
Wasson Bluff, Parrsboro, Bay of Fundy, Cumberland Co., Nova Scotia, Canada
2.8 x 2.5 x 2.2 cm
Sharply formed and nicely colored Stilbite-Ca (NaCa4[Al9Si27O72] · nH2O) clusters with a bit of white, siliceous sinter - a form of opal - that phosphoresces cream under SWUV.
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VN5-15 Vanadinite
$35
Aderhoual, Mibladene, Upper Moulouya lead district, Midelt, Khénifra Province, Meknès-Tafilalet Region, Morocco
2.1 x 1.6 x 1.5 cm
A very unusual and striking, compound Vanadinite (Pb5(VO4)3Cl) crystal.
click on image
for larger view
This
specimen is sold, but I have similar ones for $15 - $25.
HPS7-3 Hematite pseudomorph
of Siderite $25 SOLD
Lake George, Park County, Colorado
3.1 x 2.7 x 1.5 cm
Sharp pseudomorphs of Siderite crystals, entirely replaced by Hematite. This specimen was found by the Rose family (Al, Mary and Erik) .
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UVR5-1a Uvarovite
$35 RESERVED
Saranovskiy Mine, Urals, Russia
4.3 x 2.9 x 2.1 cm
Nothing else matches the color of a Uvarovite (Ca3Cr2[SiO4]3) Garnet, which is why these specimens are in such demand.
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for larger view
PSI5-5 Pyrolusite
(formerly Psilomelane) on Goethite $24
The
pictured specimen is sold, but there are 2 others:
PSI5-4: 4.8 x 3.9 x 1.8 cm; $24
PSI5-6:
2.2 x 2.1 x 1.0 cm; $16
Luis Lopez manganese district, Socorro Co, New Mexico
5.7 cm x 2.5 cm x 2 cm
Hair-like Pyrolusite MnO2 formerly known as Psilomelane on a matrix of Goethite α-Fe3+O(OH). This specimen is glued into a hinged plastic box, and I think that is the safest way to ship it.
click on image
for larger view
SID5-2 Quartz
on Siderite Balls $42
2nd Sovietskiy
Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia
4.2 cm x 3.2 cm x 2.3 cm
Balls of tan Siderite FeCO3 to 1.4 cm covered with a sugary coating of small, sparkly Quartz crystals. A few larger rhombohedral Siderites are sprinkled on top the Quartz.
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for larger view
FL5-28
Fluorite $46 SOLD
The
pictured specimen is sold, but there are others.
Mina Navidad, Durango, Mexico
9.3 cm x 5.5 cm x 3.2 cm
Purple octahedral Fluorites CaF2 with interesting partial overgrowths that resemble hoppering. The matrix shows several layers of Fluorites under this top one.
click on image
for larger view
APOP9-1 Apophyllite-(KF)
$28
Maharashtra, India
5.3 cm x 2.5 cm x 1.7 cm
The top side (left photo) of this unusual cluster of Apophyllites KCa4[(F,OH)|Si8O20] • 8H2O has some inclusion that renders it dark red-brown, while the bottom (right photo) displays mostly clear Apophyllites. Note: the right photo shows a bit of the plastic stand holding the mineral for photography in the lower-right corner - that is not a crystal!
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