Sold Specimens, Gallery G
Galleries of Sold Specimens:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XY Z

Agates Sold    Calcites Sold   Mont St-Hilaire Sold

NOTE: Gaidonnayite, Genthelvite, Gmelinite, Gonnardite,
Götzenite and Gypsum from Mont St-Hilaire has been moved to Mont St-Hilaire Sold

 

click on image for larger view

GENT8-1  Genthelvite in Microcline  $37.50 SOLD

Bakstevalåsen, Gunhildrud, Øvre Eiker, Buskerud, Norway

6.6 cm x 4.6 cm x 3 cm

A piece with fine-grained, green-blue Amazonite chunks from the pegmatite at Bakstevalåsen, Norway. It contains dark red crystal sections measuring up to 3 mm of Genthelvite (Zn₄Be₃[S|(SiO₄)₃]). This Genthelvite is rich in manganese and iron which gives it the red color, unlike the brownish specimens from Mont Saint-Hilaire. The Amazonite fluoresces white under SWUV. Another example to illustrate that rare minerals are not always ugly and black!

click on image for larger view

GILL9-1  Gillespite and Sanbornite  $18 SOLD

Madrelena Mine, Tres Pozos, Baja California Norte, Mexico

3.5 cm x 2.3 cm x 2.5 cm

Bright red Gillespite (BaFe²⁺[Si₄O₁₀]) in a matrix with colorless Sanbornite (Ba₂[Si₄O₁₀]).  The Sanbornite fluoresces cream in LWUV and SWUV.

click on image for larger view

GORG8-1  Görgeyite  $150  SOLD

Inder B deposit and salt dome, Atyrau, Atyrau Oblysy, Kazakhstan

5.2 cm x 2.5 cm x 0.6 cm

A large, nearly complete crystal of the extremely rare sulfate Görgeyite (K₂Ca₅(SO₄)₆•H₂O) with an old Russian-style number tag on the bottom.  The faces are smooth and have the silky feel of a Calcite.  The left termination face in the left-hand photo is especially complex, looking like waves on a beach.  The bottom edge of the crystal is contacted and there is a chip on the upper left edge (visible in right-hand photo), but it is still an exceptionally large and good crystal for such a rare species.  It fluoresces yellow-orange under SWUV.

click on image for larger view                                                image on right is 6 x 4.5 mm

ZGG10-1  Guimarãesite(TL)/Greifensteinite/Zanazziite(TL)
with Eosphorite on Microcline  $48   SOLD

Taquaral Seco Mine, Itinga, Jequitinhonha valley,
Minas Gerais, Brazil

4.8 cm x 2.0 cm x 1.8 cm;   ball of crystals ~ 3 mm

I found a few of these enigmatic Brazilian specimens at Tucson  labeled as Guimarãesite/Greifensteinite/Zanazziite since they are either combinations of the three beryllium phosphates, or so indistinguishable that whichever is present might as well represent all three, as you can see from comparing their chemical formulas:
Guimarãesite (TL) : Ca₂      (Zn,Mg,Fe²⁺)₅      Be₄[(OH)₄|(PO₄)₆] · 6H₂O
Greifensteinite :      Ca₂       (Fe²⁺, Mn)₅        Be₄[(OH)₄|(PO₄)₆] · 6H₂O
Zanazziite (TL) :       Ca₂ (Mg,Fe)(Mg,Fe,Al)₄ Be₄[(OH)₄|(PO₄)₆] · 6H₂O

These are the greenish balls.  Those three minerals constitute almost half of the 7-member Roscherite group.  In addition, there are numerous Eosphorite blades ((Mn²⁺,Fe²⁺) Al[(OH)₂|PO₄] · H₂O) sprinkled on a piece of Microcline that is coated with an unidentified, cream-colored mineral. An entire collection in one piece! 

click on image for larger view                                                                   image on right is 4 x 3.5 mm

ZGG10-2  Guimarãesite(TL)/Greifensteinite/Zanazziite(TL)
with Eosphorite on Albite  $68  SOLD

Ponte do Piauí claim, Piauí valley, Taquaral, Itinga,
Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil

3.5 cm x 1.9 cm x 2.5 cm;   ball of crystals ~ 3.5 mm

From a slightly different location still within the type locality (TL) designation of Taquaral, here is another of the triple beryllium phosphates Guimarãesite/Greifensteinite/Zanazziite.  This time the matrix is bladed Albite, still accompanied by prismatic Eosphorite and the unknown cream-colored mineral, with 8 large beryllium phosphate balls.

ordinary light                     click on image for larger view                SWUV

PGH9-1 Phosphorescent Gypsum  $32   SOLD

Alberta, Canada

3.4 x 1.7 x 1.2 cm

The cool thing about this neat little Gypsum crystal is that when it fluoresces, you see an hourglass shape!  These used to be very common, but now they seem to be getting hard to find.

click on image for larger view

SPH8-6  Gypsum (variety Selenite) pseudomorph of Halite  $20SOLD
Point Sal, near Guadalupe, Santa Barbara Co., CA

2.9 cm x 2.8 cm x 2.5 cm

A distorted, hoppered cube of gray Gypsum (Ca[SO₄] · 2H₂O) variety Selenite, assuming the form of a large, intricate Halite (NaCl) crystal.  Dale Harwood, the collector of this specimen, says that Vandenberg Air Force Base has now closed the road that gives access to this site; so unless they restore access, no more will be coming out.

Galleries of Sold Specimens:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XY Z

Agates Sold    Calcites Sold   Mont St-Hilaire Sold