Sold Specimens, Gallery T
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

ordinary light                                 click on image for larger view                                 SWUV

TALC8-1 Talc and Tremolite  $35 SOLD

Gouverneur Talc Mine, Fowler, St. Lawrence Co., New York

9.7 x 5.8 x 4.8 cm

Under SWUV, the Talc (Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂) fluoresces yellow and the Tremolite ([Ca₂][Mg₅][(OH)₂|Si₈O₂₂]) is a pale peach color that the camera did not pick up.  There are some 3 - 4 cm Tremolite crystals near the top  of the specimen, embedded in the Talc, and smaller ones sprinkled throughout.  This specimen was one of my first attempts to do photography on fluorescent minerals, and it definitely looks better in person than in the SWUV photo.  The color is actually closer to the Polylithionite photo further down on this page.

click on image for larger view 

TAP10-1  Tapiolite-Fe  $48 SOLD

Quixaba pegmatite, Frei Martinho, Borborema mineral province, Paraíba, Brazil

1.4 cm x 1.4 cm x 1.0 cm

A very fine, sharp and relatively large crystal of the rare species, Tapiolite-(Fe) : (Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)₂O₆ .

click on image for larger view

THAU9-2  Thaumasite and Pectolite  $35 SOLD

Upper New Street Quarry, Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey

4.5 cm x 4.0 cm x 3.0 cm

Silky white cones of Pectolite (NaCa₂[HSi₃O₉]), many of which are visible at center bottom, are embedded in a bright white aggregate of micro Thaumasite (Ca₃[CO₃|SO₄|Si(OH)₆] · 12H₂O) crystals.  An odd piece from a classic locality.

click on images for larger view                                                        image on right is 8 x 8mm

THEI9-1  Theisite, Azurite and Chrysocolla $55  SOLD

Is Murvonis Mine, Domusnovas,
Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Sardinia, Italy

5.3 cm x 3.4 cm x 1.9 cm

This specimen features flat, radial, pale blue-green crystals of Theisite, Cu₅Zn₅[(OH)₇|(AsO₄,SbO₄)]₂, over patches of deep blue Azurite Cu₃[OH|CO₃]₂ and spots of darker blue-green Chrysocolla (Cu,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O.

ordinary light                               click on image for larger view                           LWUV/ SWUV

TUG8-1 Phosphorescent Tugtupite (TL) $12  SOLD

Narsaq, Kitaa (West Greenland) Province, Greenland

1.9 x 0.7 x 0.6 cm

This is just a tiny specimen, but it glows fiercely red in SWUV and very similarly but a little less intensely and a little more orange-colored in LWUV.  After illumination with SWUV, it phosphoresces weakly white - surprisingly not the same color as the fluorescence - for several seconds.   The mineral Tugtupite (Na₄[Cl|BeAlSi₄O₁₂]) is found in only a few localities (the Kola Peninsula in Russia, Mont Saint-Hilaire in Canada, and Greenland).  It is legendary for its fluorescence.  

       
 click on images for larger view                                                      FOV= 10  mm x 9 mm

      
 FOV= 3.3  mm x 3 mm          click on images for larger view         FOV=   4  mm x 3 mm

TUP5-2  Tuperssuatsiaite $58 SOLD

Aris Quarries, Aris, Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia

4 x 4 x 4.3 cm

This specimen of Tuperssuatsiaite (Na₂Fe₃Si₈O₂₀(OH)₂·4H₂O) has four vugs containing sprays of copper-colored Tuperssuatsiaite. One of the sprays (see the lower right photo) has an unidentified yellow mineral clinging to the Tuperssuatsiaite needles.

click on image for larger view

TRG5-4  Turgite (mixture of Goethite & Hematite)  $65 SOLD

Graves Mountain, Lincoln Co., Georgia

5.3 cm x 5.1 cm x 4 cm

This Turgite (a mixture of Goethite, α-Fe³⁺O(OH), and Hematite, Fe₂O₃) is my favorite of the few I have left because of its large section of iridescent yellow with red and green on the front and a little bit of blue-black on the back. The county fair at which I exhibit each year had Minerals of the USA as its theme this year, as did the Tucson mineral show. I had great fun putting together an educational exhibit with one mineral from each state, including an iridescent Georgia specimen similar to this one. If you’ve never tried to assemble a theme collection before, you might be surprised at how much more exciting each acquisition becomes, and a US-themed collection is a welcome educational exhibit at many schools.

click on images for larger views                                                                        FOV = 4 x 3 mm

TQ10-3  Turquoise Crystals   $30  SOLD

Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, Belgium

4.9 cm x 2.9 cm x 2.8 cm

Vielsalm is one of very few localities where one can find Turquoise (Cu(Al,Fe³⁺)₆[(OH)₄|(PO₄)₂]₂· 4H₂O) in crystal form. The close-up photo shows particularly nice balls of Turquoise crystals.  They are naked-eye visible, but more fun with a microscope or loupe.

click on images for larger views                                                                        FOV = 4 x 3 mm

TQ10-4  Turquoise Crystals   $28  SOLD

Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, Belgium

4.0 cm x 2.4 cm x 1.7 cm

Vielsalm is one of very few localities where one can find Turquoise (Cu(Al,Fe³⁺)₆[(OH)₄|(PO₄)₂]₂· 4H₂O) in crystal form. The close-up photo shows balls of Turquoise crystals.  They are naked-eye visible, but more fun with a microscope or loupe.  This particular specimen has some unidentified balls of green crystals for added interest, and a good amount of fibrous Chlorite especially on the sides.

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