Milpillas azurite has set a new standard in what can be expected for the species, and for Mexico as well. For the first time since the great years of Tsumeb, truly world class azurites are available. It will not last. We have closely followed the production from the Milpillas mine for five years now, and it is expected that the steady trickle of good specimens will wind down over 2011 as the deposit is mined through the oxidation zone where the good stuff occurs. This large specimen is one of the larger fine pieces of this style that we have seen, and has an incredible horizon bursting with lustrous, deep azure blue crystals. When this pocket came out, in around 2007 if i recall, they were referred to as "Electric Blue," and all sold quickly. If we showed closeups, they would simply look like gem blue azurites blown out of proportion with fancy lighting, BUT this is indeed what they look like in person with any moderate lighting. This particular specimen has sharp crystals to 3 cm, with a central "spire" 6 cm tall shooting up in the middle, all nicely centered on malachite matrix. It is from one of the older finds here, among the earliest pieces we handled. Since that time, it has resided in a friend's collection - I have recently bought it back and trimmed it to a smaller, more balanced size as seen here. Joe Budd photos.

An intense-blue, very color-saturated aquamarine from new finds in Vietnam. The color is EXTREME, and reminds me only of a very few Jos aquamarines I have seen in the past, quite more robust than aquas from Pakistan or Brazil. This 47-gram cluster of vertical crystals is complete all-around, 360 degrees. It is pristine and has a fancy, pyramidal termination characteristic of this pocket (from which I understand only about a dozen specimens were recovered, only a few of which were clusters like this). The exact locale is not yet able to be released, but it IS a new location distinct from the current locale which produces flat-topped aquamarines of a lighter, more typical hue. Joe Budd photos.

Adamite from this mine, while once common, is today very rare in good specimens, particularly of larger sizes. This is a bizarre style and the largest such example of it that i have seen, that looks like a green caterpillar crawled into a vug in the rock and curled up to sleep. The adamite, which usually shows minute crystal faces on the surface of radial clusters, here shows as a very round, relatively smooth ball with only the slightest of raised faces making up the surface. It is elegantly nestled in the well-trimmed, gossan matrix. Although unusual in style, I find this piece to be very visually appealing and to stand out, for its odd form, in a case. Ex Martin Zinn collection (from his first collection, which was sold off in 2003). Joe Budd photos.

Sparkling, dramatic, freestanding light limey-green, spherical aggregates of adamite really stand out on this 3-dimensional specimen. The largest sphere is 4 cm across. This specimen allows the viewer to discern the individual crystals that make up the spheres, rare for adamite pinwheels of this size. The luster, color, and form all contrast against the matrix, combining to make this specimen a superior and beautiful adamite. As a bonus, it fluoresces an intense neon-green color. From early 1980s finds, few of this size and quality survive and come to market now. Joe Budd photos.

This specimen has a metallic golden brightness to it that looks manmade, brighter and more metallic even than modern Peruvian material can be. It is an old specimen from the collection of the late Dr. Richard Heck. Displayed one way, there is a large twin to the left, and the piece balances standing up like a triangle. Or on its side, the large , complex chalcopyrite twin graces the bottom, and smaller crystals rise above it to form a pagoda of sharp, golden-brassy color. So bright is it, that it leaps out of a case as the most metallic mineral in the Heck collection, amongst sphalerites, pyrites, and other species. It is just vividly colorful and brilliantly lustrous. One of the highlights of this fine old Mexican mineral collection. Joe Budd photos.

A dramatic display specimen from old finds atr Naica, featuring a 4-cm-across, 3-cm-deep fluorite perched atop a pedestal of galena. The crystal is just sitting up there, freely exposed and viewable all around. it is very gemmy, and has a subtle pastel color to it casued by a clear zone around a green core in the center. This crystal, in atypical Naica fashion, is sharply cubic rather than modified by the octohedral form as is common here. And, some edges have a natural rounded look , very weird and rare, to them. One of the special fluorites , and a personal favorite for aesthetics, among many in this fine old Mexican mineral collection. Joe Budd photos.