Gallery 2 of Sold Specimens, F-Z
Gallery 1 of Sold Specimens, A-E
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for larger view
FERB5-1
Ferberite $48 SOLD
Panasqueira Mines, Covilhã, Castelo Branco District, Portugal
4.2 cm x 6.1 cm x 1.8 cm
A hefty crystal of solid Ferberite FeWO4 that is terminated on top, front and sides, contacted on the bottom, and coated with small disc-shaped Calcites on the back.
click on left
image for larger view
image on right is 12 x 12 mm
FERR9-1 Ferrierite-Mg $28 SOLD
Monastir, Cagliari Province, Sardinia, Italy
4 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm; diameter of ball = 6 mm
Ferrierite-Mg (Mg,Na2,K2,Ca)3-5Mg[Al5-7Si27.5-31O72]·18H2O is another rather rare zeolite. A few colorless Heulandites are nestled up against the Ferrierite balls, and a particularly nice cluster is located in front of the central Ferrierite ball on the photo on the left, which partially blocks the Ferrierite from the camera's view.
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FL5-09 Fluorite with Natural Etching $95 SOLD
Denton
Mine, Goose Creek Mine Group
Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, Hardin County, Illinois
11 cm x 9 cm x 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. This highlights the dark phantom center that some of them have. On the back side, the etching has proceeded in the more usual fashion, working the Fluorite into finely grained and textured surfaces. The whitish material on the front side fluoresces yellow under SWUV, so it probably has petroleum in it, as does portions of the Fluorite.
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for larger view
FL5-74 Fluorite
on Muscovite $68 SOLD
Chumar Bakhoor, Hunza Valley, Gilgit District, Pakistan
4 cm x 4.5 cm x 2.8 cm
Clear, colorless Fluorite on silvery Muscovite. The large complex Fluorite crystal approximates an octahedron with lightly frosted faces alternating with clear ones. The clear faces host dozens of smaller clear faces sprouting like mathematical fractals. The frosted faces have only very tiny secondary faces. Quite a challenge to the crystallographer!
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for larger view
GT8-1
Garnet variety Andradite $30 SOLD
Stanley District, Graham County, Arizona
7.5 cm x 5.5 cm x 3.5 cm; largest crystal = 0.9 cm
A very fine assemblage of dark coffee-colored Andradite garnets, different from the more usual light greenish-brown Stanley Butte specimens.
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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.
ordinary light
click
on image for larger view SWUV
PGH9-1 Phosphorescent Gypsum $32
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.
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for larger view
LAMM8-1
Lammerite with Lemanskiite (TL) $75 SOLD
El Guanaco Mine, Guanaco, Santa Catalina
Antofagasta Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile
5.1 cm x 3.8 cm x 2.8 cm
Green Lammerite (Cu3[AsO4]2) crystals with blue Lemanskiite (NaCaCu5[Cl|(AsO4)4] • 5H2O), the latter from its type locality. This specimen displays two extremely rare minerals.
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for larger view
LANG8-1
Langite $35 SOLD
Podlipa and Reinera Mines, Lubietová ore belt
W. Slovenské Rudohorie Mts, Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia
6 cm x 3.7 cm x 1.5 cm
There doesn't seem to be any locality that produces crystals of turquoise-blue Langite (Cu4[(OH)6|SO4] • 2H2O) any bigger than a few millimeters; so this specimen with its rich, sparkly coating of sub-millimeter crystals is a good representative example. Langite is a secondary copper mineral formed from the oxidation of copper sulfides.
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for larger view
LAV9-1
Lavendulan $95 SOLD
Dolores prospect, Pastrana, Mazarrón-Águilas, Murcia,
Spain
4.2 cm x 2.8 cm x 1.8 cm
This specimen features a large vug filled with bright blue crystals of the rare copper arsenate, Lavendulan (NaCaCu5[Cl|(AsO4)4] · 5H2O), as well as a bridge of Lavendulan going from one side of the vug to the other, best seen in the detail photo on the right. The color was hard to capture - it is closest in the first photo.
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for larger view
MARG8-1
Margarite $55 SOLD
Chester Emery Mines, Hampton County, Massachusetts
12 cm x 7 cm x 3.8 cm
Margarite (CaAl2[(OH)2|Al2Si2O10]) is a member of the Mica group. This large specimen consists of foliated crystals of pearlescent pink-tan Margarite in green Actinolite schist. A reasonably pretty rare mineral, I used to have it on display on my desk shelf. The mines are thought to be the site of either thrust fault slivers of aluminous rock, hydrothermal deposits, or a combination of both. See G. Fred Lincks (1978) “The Chester Emery Mines”, Mineralogical Record, Volume 9, #4 (July-Aug), pages 235-242. I can supply a copy of this Mineralogical Record for $10 when purchased with any of my minerals.
click on left
image for larger view
image on right is 9 x 12 mm
McG9-1 McGuinnessite $32 SOLD
Red Mountain District, Mendocino Co., California (TL)
4.3 cm x 5.3 cm x 3.5 cm
This specimen features McGuinnessite ((Mg,Cu)2[(OH)2|CO3]) in flat-lying radial sprays from the type locality. Like the Bementite specimen further below, this is another mineral named after an American collector/dealer: Al McGuinness (1926-1990).
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MIM5-4
Mimetite $72 SOLD
Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico
7 cm x 5.2 cm x 3.8 cm
A carpet of glistening cauliflower-shaped Mimetites Pb5[Cl|(AsO4)3] flows up the front, over the top and halfway down the back of this specimen. Smaller bunches coat part of the bottom. The color resembles the spicy German mustard.
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for larger view
MORD5-4 Mordenite $125 SOLD
Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India
10 cm x 10 cm x 7.5 cm
This very unusually-shaped Mordenite ((Na2,Ca,K2)Al2Si10O24·7H2O) will definitely attract attention to your mineral display. Mordenite is one of the rarer zeolite minerals, and this one has a habit unlike any others that I have ever seen. I can’t even find its like in the mineral archives on www.mindat.org, so it must have been a very limited find.
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for larger view
MURD8-1
Murdochite, Brochantite, Linarite
and Malachite ps. Azurite $55 SOLD
Los Azules Mine, Zapallar Mining District
Los Azules area, Copiapó Province, Atacama Region, Chile
5.5 cm x 3 cm x 3.8 cm
I'll end my first posting to my website with four rarities from Chile. Naked-eye patches of black Murdochite (PbCu6O8-x(Cl,Br)2x, x<=0.5) are visible on the front (left photo) and side (right photo). With magnification (loupe or low-power microscope), square crystal faces are visible. Nice blue accents are provided by elongated Linarite crystals and green spikes of Brochantite. The Malachite ps Azurite appears to be mostly on the bottom, in the form of green tabular replacements.
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for larger view
NARS8-1
Narsarsukite $65 SOLD
Karnasurt Mt, Lovozero Massif, Kola Peninsula
Murmanskaja Oblast', Northern Region, Russia
6.9 cm x 5.3 cm x 3.3 cm
Dozens of square and triangular cross-sections of tan Narsarsukite crystals (Na2(Ti,Fe)Si4(O,F)11) are visible in this matrix specimen. What I particularly like are the voids left on one end of this rock – empty impressions of rectangular-sided crystals. The locality is an ultra-alkaline pegmatite with many of the same minerals that occur at the famous locality of Mont Saint-Hilaire.
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OKN8-1
Okenite in Calcite $35 - SOLD
Nasik, Maharashtra, India
4.2 cm x 3.6 cm x 2.6 cm
I have never seen any other mineral specimen like this one, and it always attracts attention whenever I show it – a ball of Okenite (CaSi2O5•2H2O) about 1.5 cm in diameter completely encased in Calcite. Admittedly, the Calcite is a cleavage section, but this is about the Okenite inclusion, not the Calcite, and you probably couldn't even see the Okenite if the Calcite were any larger. On the back of the specimen you can see the bare Okenite where it was attached to matrix, and the uncovered portion fluoresces cream in SWUV. This is one for the collector of included minerals or aficionados of the bizarre.
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for larger view
OSUM9-1 Osumilite $28 SOLD
Funtanafigu
Quarry, Marrubiu, Mt. Arci
Oristano Province, Sardinia, Italy
5 cm x 2.9 cm x 2.3 cm; largest crystal ~ 1.5 mm
Four tabular dark blue crystals that are mm-sized (and others that are smaller) of Osumilite (K,Na)(Fe2+,Mg)2(Al,Fe3+)3(Si,Al)12O30 from a rhyolite quarry that is a classic location for this species. A cavity on the side contains colorless crystals that are probably Tridymite, and the bottom has some reddish crystals that are likely Cordierite. The Osumilite crystals have growth triangles on their faces that are partially visible to the naked eye, but are especially nice with a loupe or microscope.
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for larger view
PAPG5-1 Papagoite $125 SOLD
Ajo
Mine, Ajo, Little Ajo Mts, Ajo District, Pima Co., Arizona, USA (TL)
8.3 cm x 8.5 cm x 4.2 cm
This large, rich specimen of Papagoite, CaCu[H3AlSi2O9], is from the type locality (TL). Most of the coverage is in the form of a crust, but as you turn the specimen under the light, you can see the sparkle of many sub-millimeter-sized crystals. Use of a loupe or a low-power microscope reveals their prismatic shapes embedded in the crust.
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on image for larger view
PEC6-1 Pectolite $85 SOLD
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos, Québec, Canada
6.3 cm x 5 cm x 4 cm
Little wheat-sheaf clusters, sprays and bowties of pure Pectolite (NaCa2[HSi3O9]) piled on top of each other to form an airy specimen. It fluoresces a sort of pink-yellow-orange under both SWUV and LWUV, more strongly with the latter.
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for larger view
PHEN9-1 Phenakite on Quartz $18 SOLD
Mt.
Foster, Bennett, Atlin Mining Division, British Columbia, Canada
8.0 cm x 3.2 cm x 2.6 cm; largest crystal size ~ 3 mm
A
Quartz fragment sprinkled with about 2 dozen clear, small Phenakites
(Be2[SiO4])
from an unusual locality.
click on left
image for larger view
image on right is 10 x 6 mm
POSN9-1 Posnjakite $95 SOLD
Drakewalls
Mine, Gunnislake Area, Callington District
Cornwall, England, UK
4 cm x 2.5 cm x 2.8 cm
Posnjakite (Cu4[(OH)6|SO4] · H2O) is an uncommon copper sulfate that forms in the oxidized zone of copper-bearing hydrothermal mineral deposits. This specimen comes with an older-looking label from David New Minerals.
PRET9-1 Pretulite $95 SOLD
Höllkogel
Mt., Alpl, Freßnitzgraben, Krieglach,
Fischbacher Alpen Mts, Styria, Austria (TL)
3.4 cm x 2.1 cm x 2 cm
Pretulite
(ScPO4)
is one of only a few scandium-containing minerals, and this specimen
comes from the type locality for Pretulite. The Pretulite is the
yellowish material. The blue matrix consists of Lazulite in Quartz.
Specimen A click
on image for larger view
Specimen B
PSB9-1 Pseudoboleite (TL) on Boleite (TL) $55 SOLD
Santa
Rosalía, Boleó District, Mun. de Mulegé,
Baja California Sur, Mexico
specimen
A: 4 mm x 4 mm x 4 mm
SOLD
specimen B: 4 mm x 4 mm
x 4 mm SOLD
Pseudoboleite (Pb31Cu24Cl62(OH)48) is a rare mineral that usually only occurs as sub-millimeter crystals. But in Santa Rosalía, it is found growing epitaxially on Boleite (KPb26Ag9Cu24(OH)48Cl62). Epitaxy is defined as: The growth of a crystal of one mineral on the surface of a crystal of a different mineral in a definite orientation determined by the atomic structures of the two minerals (from Photo-Atlas of Minerals Glossary). What this means for this specimen is that the Pseudoboleite is the raised step found on all 6 six sides. Please specify specimen A (left) or specimen B (right).
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for larger view
PSMAL8-1
Pseudomalachite $36 SOLD
Cerro Colorado Mine, Cerro Colorado
Iquique Province, Tarapacá Region, Chile
4.3 cm x 4 cm x 3.5 cm
Dark spheres of Pseudomalachite (Cu5[(OH)2|PO4]2)
on matrix. This phosphate is not in the same chemical family as
the carbonate Malachite (Cu2[(OH)2|CO3])
although both are found in the oxidized zones of copper deposits.
It gets its name due to its physical resemblance to Malachite.
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for larger view
PYR6-1
Pyrite stalactite $36 SOLD
Huanzala Mine, Huallanca District
Dos de Mayo Province,
Huánuco Department, Peru
1 cm x 5.3 cm x 1 cm
When mineral-containing liquid drips from the ceiling of a cave, pocket or vug, the droplet leaves behind a ring of deposited minerals that were dissolved in the droplet. This ring eventually grows into a straw-like stalactite formation, gaining thickness if additional flow goes over the outside. This particular stalactite specimen consists of Pyrite (FeS2) crystals growing radially outward from a central hole that runs the length of the specimen. The right-hand photo shows a top view of the specimen, giving a good look at the central hole.
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for larger view
PYRC8-1
Pyrochlore $65 SOLD
Tatarka River, Enisei Range, Krasnoyarsk Territory
Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia
3.5 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm
This specimen is a rather large single crystal of the niobium oxide Pyrochlore ((Ca,Na)2Nb2O6(OH,F)). The mineral Pyrochlore is one of the principal ores of niobium, an interesting element that is also called columbium. Niobium is used to confer heat resistance in metal alloys, and we used it in some of our smaller rocket engines when I worked at Rocketdyne. This heavy crystal is an attractive rare mineral – it looks like it was carved out of a lustrous wood.
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for larger view
QWL5-1 Quartz with Hematite and Copper Inclusions $55 SOLD
Messina
mine, Messina District, Limpopo Province, South Africa
1.3 cm x 4.4 cm x 1.3 cm
A frosted quartz crystal with a extra drapery of Copper and Hematite-containing Quartz. There is a small contact on the tip of the Quartz, but the inclusions are vividly colored and sharply detailed.
front - click
on image for larger view
back - click
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FQ8-1 Six-Axis
Faden Quartz with Chlorite Inclusions $130
SOLD
Toyee, near Wana, South Wajiristan, Pakistan
8.2 cm x 6.2 cm x 3.3 cm
An exceptionally beefy and aesthetic faden Quartz with nice green accents of included Chlorite and crystals growing in six different directions. The word "faden" is German for thread, twine or filament since these Quartz pieces appear to have a thread running down the axis from which the crystals grow. The thread is actually a series of bubbles or nuclei from which the Quartz originates. It is thought that they grow in a fissure as it widens.
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for larger view
RH5-8
Rhodochrosite $24 SOLD
Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico
5.5 cm x 3.5 cm x 2 cm
Mounds of sparkling pink Rhodochrosite MnCO3 crystals on a piece of black, manganese-rich matrix.
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for larger view
RHN5-1 Rhodonite $135
SOLD
Conselheiro Lafaiete, Minas Gerais, Brazil
9 cm x 5.3 cm x 3.7 cm
The recent find of Rhodonite (MnSiO3) from Conselheiro Lafaiete was a one-time occurrence. The bright red Rhodonite was available in some bladed thumbnails, miniatures and a few larger masses such as this one. If you are looking to add color to your display cabinet, this one is for you.
close-up of Rosasite
balls & pseudomorphs of azurite blades - click on image for larger
view
CHRY5-7
Rosasite with Chrysocolla pseudomorph of Rosasite & Azurite
$40 SOLD
Bagdad, Eureka District, Yavapai Co. Arizona
9.7 cm x 3.3 cm x 5.5 cm
A wonderfully complex mixture of large bluish-green Rosasite ((Cu,Zn)2[(OH)2|CO3]) balls and sharp, blue-bladed pseudomorphs of Chrysocolla after Rosasite and Azurite. Also present is gray Tennantite in the massive matrix and on the bottom face. An Arizona classic for locality collectors or lovers of pseudomorphs. I also have some smaller and less expensive specimens from the same locality - inquire if interested.
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for larger view
RUT8-1
Rutile $125 SOLD
Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
5.2
cm x 2.8 cm
x 0.4 cm
Purely needles of Rutile (TiO2), piled next to and on top of each other, oriented in parallel sheets or at angles of 60°. One of the most distinctive Rutiles I have ever seen.
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for larger view
SALAM9-1 Sal Ammoniac $22 SOLD
Sainte Fontaine Coal Mine, Moselle, Lorraine, France
3.9 cm x 1.2 cm x 3.2 cm; largest crystal = 4mm
Sal Ammoniac (NH4Cl) is a by-product of burning coal seams (and bat guano deposits!), so this mineral specimen probably formed from post-mining activities. Crystals are typically curved or distorted and have a plastic appearance. This coal mine was closed in 1987. Sal Ammoniac is water-soluble, so don't wash this specimen.
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for larger view
SCO6-3 Scorodite $32 SOLD
Hemerdon Ball Mine, Plympton, Tavistock District, Devon, England
2.5 cm x 3.6 cm x 2.6 cm
A reference specimen of Scorodite Fe3+AsO4·2H2O crystals to 1 mm in a small vug. The Scorodite color didn't come out quite right; the crystals should be more greenish-blue.
click on image
for larger view
MARM8-1
Sphalerite var. Marmatite $65 SOLD
Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia
9.5 cm x 4.5 cm x 4 cm
Marmatite is a black variety of Sphalerite ((Zn, Fe2+)S), that is here represented by flat-topped crystals. Interspersed with those are the more traditional Sphalerites with triangular faces, which makes this a unique piece, presenting multiple habits in one specimen.
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for larger view
GAHN8-1
Spinel on Diopside $95 SOLD
Aldan Shield, Saha Republic, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia
5 cm x 3.5 cm x 3 cm
The latest find of these Spinels (MgAl2O4) was covered in the Jan-Feb 2008 Mineralogical Record, under the Munich Show Report (see page 66), but since I’ve had this one for years, I suspect it comes from the earlier find about 20 years ago. In any case, this locality has certainly established itself as remarkable for the size, quality and unusually elongated habit of the Spinels found there.
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for larger view
MIC5-15 Star Muscovite on Feldspar $64 SOLD
Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil
9 cm x 7 cm x 3.8 cm
The large Muscovite KAl2[(OH)2|AlSi3O10] star in the middle is unusually wide at 4 cm, and the placement atop the Feldspar is quite attractive. People always ask if the crystal form is natural - it is!
click on image
for larger view
STCH6-1
Stichtite $48 SOLD
Kaapsche Hoop, Barberton District
Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
5.5 cm x 4 cm x 1.8 cm
Imagine my surprise when I look up Stichtite (Mg6Cr2[(OH)16|CO3] · 4H2O) in www.mindat.org, and find that the photo they have chosen for the data page is currently this very piece! So if you are looking for a characteristic Stichtite, this lilac-pink chunk of pure fibrous Stichtite certainly qualifies. It's a member of the Hydrotalcite group and a much prettier than average rare mineral.
ordinary light
click
on image for larger view
SWUV
STRON9-4 Strontianite $20
Winfield, Union Co., Pennsylvania
4.4 x 2 x 3.2 cm
This looks like a pseudomorph or cast of Strontianite (SrCO3) after Calcite. It fluoresces and phosphoresces cream-blue under SWUV.
click on image
for larger view
STRN9-1 Green Strontianite $75
Nandan County,
Hechi Prefecture,
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
5.8 cm x 4.6 cm x 3 cm
The result of a single small find in 2003, this pretty green Strontianite (SrCO3) presents a bit of a mystery. None of the main references on Chinese minerals mentions any location producing specimen-grade Strontianite, yet two-thirds of the world's strontium supply came from China in 2007! Definitely a rarity, yet pretty enough for display.
click on image for larger view
SUO8-1
Suolunite $150 SOLD
Mine Lac d'Amiante, Black Lake, Mégantic Co., Québec,
Canada
3.5 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm
Suolunite (Ca2[H2Si2O7] • H2O) is a rare mineral known from only 5 localities worldwide, and the Québec locality seems to have produced the best ones. This chunk of lilac-colored mineral displays V-shaped crystal aggregates on the side (middle photo), intergrown terminations on top (left photo), and curious striations on the bottom (right-hand photo) where the white matrix has been removed.
click on image
for larger view
DOV8-1
Synchysite-Y variety Doverite (TL) $65 SOLD
Scrub Oak Mine (Replogle Mine/Alan Wood Steel Co. Mine)
Mine Hill Borough, Morris Co., New Jersey
4.8 cm x 4 cm x 3 cm
The
Scrub Oak Mine was owned by Alan Wood Steel Co. back in the 1950’s
when Doverite (Ca(Y,Ce)[F|(CO3)2]) was described
as a new species using samples obtained at the mine. The US Atomic
Energy Commission sponsored the investigations because deposits of yttrium
(-Y) and other rare earths are often accompanied by radioactive thorium
and uranium. Indeed, most Doverite specimens are slightly radioactive.
This specimen likely dates to that period because it comes with
an anonymous label describing the mineral as Doverite from the Alan
Wood Steel Co. mine at Mine Hill. The similarity to Synchysite
was noted, and eventually Doverite became known as the –Y variety
of Synchysite. In this mineral specimen, the brick-red patches
are composed of Synchysite-Y. Here is a link to the paper describing
the chemistry of Doverite:
http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM45/AM45_92.pdf
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 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 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 image for larger view
VSV8-1
Vesuvianite $65 SOLD
Lake Jaco, Sierra de la Cruz, Coahuila, Mexico
8.2 cm x 5.6 cm x 5 cm
More than a dozen Vesuvianites (Ca10(Mg,Fe)2Al4Si9O34(OH)4) up to 1.2 cm on edge are strewn about the matrix. Matrix specimens from Lake Jaco are hard to find, and this one has good coverage of lustrous Vesuvianites.
click on left
image for larger view
image on right is 5 x 7mm
WAD5-2 Wadeite on Aegerine $38 SOLD
Eveslogchorr Mt, Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula
Murmanskaja Oblast', Northern Region, Russia
4.1 cm x 3.1 cm x 2.3 cm; size of largest crystal ~ 4 mm
Pale hexagonal crystals of Wadeite, K2Zr[Si3O9] are sprinkled upon a nest of black Aegerine needles, NaFe3+[Si2O6].
click on image
for larger view
WAV5-23 Wavellite $18 SOLD
Mauldin Mt., Montgomery County, Arkansas
4.8 cm x 2 cm x 2.5 cm
Great color and exceptional sparkle for an Arkansas Wavellite. The large ball of Wavellite Al3[(OH,F)3|(PO4)2] · 5H2O in the middle is 1.2 cm wide.
click on image
for larger view
WTH6-1 Witherite
$48 SOLD
Nentsberry Haggs Mine, Alston Moor District,
North
Pennines, Cumbria, England, UK
5 cm x 5 cm x 4.5 cm
A relatively large and complex crystal of Witherite BaCO3 from a famous English locality.
ordinary light
click on image for larger view
SWUV click
on image for larger view
WITH8-1 Witherite $40 SOLD
Cave-in-Rock Sub-District, IL-KY Fluorspar District, Hardin Co., IL
9 x 4.5 x 5 cm
Translucent barrel-shaped Witherites (BaCO3) occupy half the specimen and encompass some opaque white material on the other half, but all of it fluoresces quite well under SWUV.
click on image
for larger view
WLF5-14
Wulfenite and Mimetite $20 SOLD
Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Mexico
6.5 cm x 3 cm x 3.5 cm
Rectangular yellow Wulfenites (Pb[MoO4]) up to 4-5 mm amidst pretty green balls of Mimetite (Pb5[Cl|(AsO4)3]) on a limonite matrix. I believe that this find occurred in 2003. The Mimetites fluoresce yellow under LWUV. A colorful and sparkly specimen.
click on image
for larger view
ZAR6-1 Zaratite $28 SOLD
Lord Brassy Mine, Heazlewood River, Tasmania, Australia
4.2 cm x 4.4 cm x 2.4 cm
Zaratite, Ni3(CO3)(OH)4·4H2O is a secondary nickel carbonate, and the best examples come from the Lord Brassy Mine in Tasmania. This specimen features a bright green, bubbly coating of Zaratite. At 60 x under the microscope, I believe I can spot a few crystal faces, but most of the green coating is devoid of faces.
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