Mineral Gallery 1



Amethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., GeorgiaAmethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia
click on images for larger views
Amethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., GeorgiaAmethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia
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AM5-03  Amethyst  $450
ex L. St-Cyr

Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia

10 cm x 7 cm x 6 cm

This one is the biggest and the most perfect; it was the one I chose for my collection when they first came out.  The tips are perfect (a single termination on the top and 6 parallel terminations at the bottom which are only really visible in the last photo), and it is nearly a floater.  Typically for Jacksons Crossroads Amethyst, it is a bit on the "elestial" side and shows surfaces that absorbed surrounding material on the backside.   It has that nice grape-purple color that distinguishes the Jacksons Crossroads Amethyst from any other location, with a few smoky highlights.  The photos do not do it justice, but if you click on the photos to see the big versions, they're better.


Amethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., GeorgiaAmethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia
click on images for larger views
Amethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., GeorgiaAmethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia
click on images for larger views

AM5-02 Amethyst  $295

Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia

8.6 cm x 5.6 cm x 4.0 cm

This one is smaller than the one above, but has the most striking color on the front face (upper left photo).  The backside (upper right photo) is rougher than the specimen above.   The two lateral faces are shown in the lower left and right photos.




Amethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., GeorgiaAmethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia
click on images for larger views
Amethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., GeorgiaAmethyst, Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia
click on images for larger views

AM5-30 Amethyst  $375

Jacksons Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia

8.7 cm x 4.5 cm x 4.4 cm

This one is the smallest, but has the most interesting form, that of six parallel crystals.  The front (upper left photo) is very attractive and the back (lower left photo) is almost as good.  The 6 tips on the top (upper right photo) are perfect; the bottom terminations are flatter, and are good until you reach the lower crystal, which is the former surface of attachment.  The upper lateral face is well-formed (lower right photo).  




click on left image for larger view

DAT9-1  Datolite with Interference Quartz  $98  SOLD

Bor Pit, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

8.0 cm x 5.3 cm x 4.5 cm

A half-dozen mint-green, lustrous Datolite (CaB[OH|SiO4]) crystals are cemented together by Quartz (SiO2).  Some of the Quartz is of the "interference" type, which looks like a stack of plates (2 photos at right).  Interference Quartz appears to have met with interference as it grew, causing it to be separated perpendicular to what is usually the long axis (the c-axis).  Whatever caused the interference apparently dissolved later.




click on images for larger views

MORD5-3  Mordenite on Amethyst  $295  SOLD

Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India

17 cm x 14 cm x 10 cm

A vug shaped like a thick hourglass, open on both ends, is coated inside with Amethyst and Mordenite (Na2,Ca,K2)Al2Si10O24·7H2O. Looking into the left end of the top photo, you would see the view shown in the middle photo, and looking into the right end of the top photo you would see the view shown in the bottom photo.




click on images for larger views

WULF10-1  Wulfenite and Hydrozincite  $40

Mobile Mine, Goodsprings District, Clark Co., Nevada

7.1 cm x 4.5 cm x 3.0 cm

A recent find of Wulfenite (Pb[MoO4) from a copper mine southwest of Las Vegas.  This specimen has a few good, thin, butterscotch-colored crystals up to a 1-cm edge, and a crust of white Hydrozincite (Zn5[(OH)3|CO3]2) that fluoresces blue-white under LWUV & SWUV and phosphoresces under SWUV.


click on images for larger views

large crystal is 5 mm on edge                                          crystal is 5 mm on top edge         

WULF10-2  Wulfenite  $50

Mobile Mine, Goodsprings District, Clark Co., Nevada

7.2 cm x 6.3 cm x 3.0 cm

The Wulfenite on this specimen displays a completely different habit, the crystals being truncated dipyramids of clear orange, as in the lower left close-up.  The lower-right close-up looks like a sandwich of 3 intergrown crystals.



click on image for larger view

WULF10-3  Wulfenite  $55

Mobile Mine, Goodsprings District, Clark Co., Nevada

3.6 cm x 2.5 cm x 2.2 cm

This specimen is loaded with thin, butterscotch-colored crystals up to a 1-cm edge.


   
 click on images for larger view                                                      FOV20 mm x 19 mm

 
 FOV= 20 mm x 16 mm          click on images for larger view         FOV=   20 mm x 18 mm

SPHL9-1  Sphalerite, Quartz and Pyrite  $58

Herja Mine, Baia Mare, Maramures, Romania

8.1 x 6 x 3.3 cm;  Sphalerite crystal = 3.2 x 2.5 x 2 cm

An aesthetic assemblage of Sphalerite ((Zn,Fe2+)S), Quartz (SiO2) and Pyrite (FeS2). While the large, sharp Sphalerite obviously dominates the piece, a closer look shows that the forest of Quartz sports some interesting sceptered crystals.  Four out of five of the Sphalerite's sides are complete; the fifth side is partially terminated and partially contacted (along right edge of the piece as viewed in the upper left photo).  The larger image shows the extraordinary triangular faces and striations on the Sphalerite quite well.




 click on images for larger view

BAR5-31  Barite  $38

Riu Bachera mine, Nuxis, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Sardinia, Italy

7.8 x 4.1 x 2.2 cm;  largest crystal = 2.4 x 1.6 x 1.1 cm

This pretty Barite (BaSO4) stands on its own, and I think it resembles a stegosaurus!

Rutile Epitaxial on Hematite with Albite,  Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Northeast Region, Brazil
Rutile Epitaxial on Hematite with Albite,  Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Northeast Region, Brazil
click on image for larger view 

RUT10-1  Rutile Epitaxial on Hematite with Albite  $125  SOLD

Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Northeast Region, Brazil

5.7 cm x 3.5 cm x 3.3 cm

A few years ago, there appeared some stunning matrix specimens of Rutile growing epitaxially on Hematite. They were priced in the tens of thousands, alas.  So I was delighted to see an affordable miniature version this year at Tucson.  Then to my surprise, as I was measuring this specimen for the website posting, I spotted a dozen small, transparent and colorless crystals (for example, see bottom photo) on the matrix as well - they turned out to be polysynthetically twinned Albite, very unusual-looking crystals.


     
  click on images for larger view                                                      FOV4 mm x 3 mm

TYR6-1  Tyrolite  $42  SOLD

Molvizar, Granada, Andalusia, Spain

4.5 x 4 x 2.5 cm

Tyrolite (Ca2Cu9[(OH)4|(H2O)11|CO3|(AsO4)4] · 0-1H2O) in beautiful sprays of turquoise-green richly cover the matrix of this specimen.  An interesting and different locality.


Turquoise Crystals, Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, BelgiumTurquoise Crystals, Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, Belgium
click on images for larger views                                                                        FOV = 5 x 4 mm

TQ10-1  Turquoise Crystals   $35  SOLD

Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, Belgium

4.8 cm x 2.9 cm x 2.0 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.




Turquoise Crystals, Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, BelgiumTurquoise Crystals, Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, Belgium
click on images for larger views                                                                        FOV = 4 x 4 mm

TQ10-2  Turquoise Crystals with Chlorite  $25  SOLD

Vielsalm, Stavelot Massif, Luxembourg Province, Belgium

4.5 cm x 2.5 cm x 1.6 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 a lot of Chlorite and Mica group minerals in association with the Turquoise.


  
  click on images for larger view                                                      FOV10 mm x 8 mm

SOLQ5-3  Solution Quartz with Multiple Terminations  $38  SOLD

Jeffrey Quarry, Pulaski Co., Arkansas

4.1 x 3.7 x 2.3 cm

I have wondered for a long time why these particular floater clusters of bright quartz are called "solution quartz".  I just found a likely explanation from one of Dr. Rob Lavinsky's postings on MinDat.  He says that since they did not form on matrix, they apparently formed while floating in the solution.  (As my son would say, "Duh!")  Also, something else I didn't know is that they were collected by divers.  But to me, the most special aspect of Jeffrey Quarry solution quartz is the way a single crystal splits into multiple terminations, as shown in the close-up on the right.  

News flash! More information from Arkansas dealer Chris Wright: "Solution quartz was formed in a gel of cookeite, rectorite and silica.  No attachments at all except for some exceptions.  Scuba diving wasn't necessary until the end of production and flooding of the quarry.  It was even pumped dry several times."  Thanks, Chris!




 click on images for larger view

BNN5-3  Bournonite, Sphalerite & Chalcopyrite  $55

Baia Sprie (Felsöbánya), Maramures Co., Romania

6.2 x 5.2 x 2.2 cm

The dark triangles are Sphalerites ((Zn,Fe2+)S), the golden triangles are Chalcopyrites (CuFeS2), and the dark "tree stumps" are Bournonites (PbCuSbS3) with a slight expression of the classic cogwheel form.  There is a label from the Benjamin Ackerman collection that comes with this piece, and identifies Felsöbánya as being in Hungary, which set me off on an investigation.  Apparently that territory belonged to Hungary until 1920, then again in 1940-1944.  One might infer that either this is an old piece, or it belonged to a very nationalistic Hungarian.  In any case, it is a fine assemblage of sulfides from a classic, now-Romanian location.  




click on image for larger view

DOL5-2  Cobaltoan Dolomite with Malachite  $58

Kolwezi, Western area, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo

6 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm

Green fibrous-looking Malachite (Cu2[(OH)2|CO3]) on hot pink, sparkling Cobaltoan Dolomite ((Ca,Mg,Co)CO3).  A vibrant contrast of colors that is very eye-catching.

Next Gallery

or select a gallery from the table below:

Mixed Minerals Gallery 1 Bargain Gallery
Mixed Minerals Gallery 2 Mont Saint-Hilaire 1
Mixed Minerals Gallery 3 Mont Saint-Hilaire 2
Mixed Minerals Gallery 4 Geodes, Nodules, Agates 1
Tucson Mineral Show 2011 Geodes, Nodules, Agates 2
Spanish Scolecite Rare Mineral Gallery 1
Tincalconite  Rare Mineral Gallery 2
Pseudomorphs Fluorescent Gallery 1
Large Museum Specimens Fluorescent Gallery 2

 


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