New Finds From Mapimi:
Rosasite from fall '09
& a cherrypicked stash of
Green Mimetite from 2008-2009 finds
While wulfenite aplenty has flowed out of the Ojuela Mine now for about 2 years, the flow has seemingly slowed to a trickle, and it seems that the zone is passed (at least for now). I have tried to keep in good contact with Ojuela miners during the whole period. During this production, much of which we bought, we set aside many of these specimens with good green mimetite to make an accumulation for a future offering - such specimens being generally rare in any particular pocket or batch found here. To this stash of about 30 pieces, I have recently added a mine foreman's collection/stash of green mimetite specimens, purchased in late 2009 (another 2 dozen specimens). These specimens thus were found between late 2007 and late 2009, and come from an array of pockets, all with slight differences. For every 100 wulfenite specimens, only one occurred with good green mimetite, to give you an idea of the rarity of the combination in context. The variety and breadth shown here is therefore NOT typical (even for a dealer to see), and is not a sign of one big find. It is, rather, the careful selection of pieces over 2 years of production. Also presented here are 4 top specimens from a small pocket of rosasite, found in November 2009, that are among the darkest and most velvety specimens of the species I have seen from any locale.
In an experiment at offering the highest-quality photography on the site, we commissioned professional photography of these pieces, because it captures better their natural shimmering lustre. All (enlargeable) photos are by Joe Budd, and high resolution images can be provided on request, with purchase
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Unusual and attractive - I have NEVER seen such a rosasite stalactite, from any locale! This is nearly a complete floater, with just a tiny contact at the tapering base on bottom. This specimen of botryoidal, rich TEAL-BLUE, REALLY-BLUE rosasite exhibits an undulating, snake-like form and has intense color. The largest baroque-shaped botryoid measures 2 cm across. It is surprisingly elegant. Most rosasite from worldwide locales of any quality is simply ballshaped, or thin crusts on rocks...this is unusual and different and stands out, by any standard
This rosasite specimen, features a solid carpet of thick growth upon a thin crust of limonite. It has spheres to 1.0 cm across, that are deeply colored,intense TEAL -BLUE. not just blue - intense blue! Around the periphery of the specimen the spheres exhibit a lighter blue color, thus giving the piece a two-tone appearance. These few specimens of intense color are surprising, and rare in this quality.
This specimen is higlighted by several vugs hosting the thin crusts of lustrous, rich green , spherical mimetite balls. Glassy and translucent, amber-colored wulfenite crystals, to .2 cm in length, are clustered as accents around some of the vugs. Aesthetic and sculptural, this is an excellent example of the new green mimetites.
A bubbly crust of spherical, lustrous mimetite, to .6 cm across, is particularly sparkling on this specimen for some reason. It is a beautiful, large plate with top color! The mimetite occurs as a crust and is emplaced on a limonite matrix with a sawn base. A few, sparkling, tiny wulfenites and one larger crystal measuring 1.0 cm in length, are perched on the mimetite and provide a nice accent in the corner (though the wulfenite has slight edge wear and is not value-added on this specimen at the price, per se). Small white flecks are very trivial little dings, shown in the photo more than in person. Overall, it really is one of the more beautiful large pieces, and stands out in quality for color and luster, and just leaps out at you from a case.
A verdant hillside of lustrous, rich green mimetite is surmounted by a few elongated, lustrous and translucent, amber-colored wulfenite crystals to 1.5 cm in length. A surprising (until this find) and unique combination! All of this is underlain by a knobby limonite matrix which pokes out on the edges (and is sawn to reduce mass, in back). The contrast and balance on the specimen is very aesthetic, and it is more 3-dimensional in person.
A beautiful small cab featuring superb, rich green mimetite draping an ocherous limonite matrix. Super example of green mimetite from the find, with particularly intense color - and if you want a mimetite, its cheaper to get one without wulfenite attached, too.
BEAUTIFUL LARGE SPECIMEN! This mountain-shaped mimetite specimen hosts a single, lustrous and translucent, amber-colored wulfinite crystal 1.1 cm in length. The spherical mimetite, which reaches .75 cm across, is lustrous and velvety with a rich green color. All of this is on a knobby, 3-dimensional limonite matrix. Impactful size and aesthetics!
Like houses perched on a hillside, SHARP crystals of lustrous and translucent, amber-colored wulfenite to 1.0 cm sit upon cascading, sculptural mounds of velvety green mimetite, in spherical aggregates to .5 cm across. White flakes of calcite are also present. All this on an interestingly-shaped limonite matrix. At least 2 of the wulfenite crystals are also doubly terminated. Overall a striking combination specimen!
An aesthetic, volcano-shaped knob of limonite matrix smothered in rich green mimetite, in spheres to .5 cm across. Widely scattered on the mimetite are a few elongated, lustrous and translucent, amber-colored wulfenite crystals to, 1.0 cm in length. Overall a very 3-dimensional and impactful specimen!
A crust of lustrous, rich green mimetite is emplaced on an ocherous limonite matrix. Elongated, lustrous and translucent, amber-colored wulfenite crystals, to 1.75 cm in length, are perched on the mimetite. Flakes of white calcite are also present (mostly on the sides). Overall, a super-aesthetic, well-balanced specimen!
On the silky green mimetite lays a cluster of superbly crystallized, slender and elongated, bi-pyramidal wulfenite crystals. to 2.2 cm in length. The wulfenite crystals are lustrous and translucent; and exhibit a butterscotch color. The longest crystal is also doubly terminated. These are outstanding examples of this rare habit, from a find that really has astonished people by how much of quality came out after decades of low wulfenite production here. And whe nit did come out, to have this unusual habit...it was worth the wait. Such large crystals of this habit are uncommon from any locality for wulfenite.
Nestled in a vug of limonite are several, thick lustrous and translucent, amber-colored crystals of wulfenite, to 1.5 cm in length, of which at least two are doubly terminated. THESE ARE EXTREMELY LARGE CRYSTALS FOR THIS BLOCKY HABIT, FROM THIS MINE AND FIND. A few bright green spheres of mimetite are also present, as well as accenting little calcite crystals. But it is the thick, robust wulfenite here, that is unusual.
This is a fascinating combo specimen with varied textures and colors. Emplaced at the top-left of a limonite matrix is a small area of of lustrous and velvety, rich green spheres of mimetite, to .5 cm across. This is actually minimized in the photo, because of the need to shoot for focus on the wulfenites, but trust me its nice and green up there. Beautiful, caramel-colored, large crystals of lustrous and translucent wulfenite to 1.8 cm in length are perched on the limonite in a seam running through the middle. The effect is dramatic. Many of the wulfenites are doubly terminated, though a few are damaged, please note. An unusual accent are flakelike crystals of stark, pure-white calcite.
A knobby matrix of limonite is almost completely covered by very robust clusters of spherical, lustrous and velvety, rich green mimetite in balls to .75 cm across. Several wulfenite crystals, to 1.0 cm in length, are perched on the mimetite (one atop has a slight damage at one edge, though this does not detract much visually). Small specks of white calcite also are present in minute quantity. The 3-D appearance of this specimen, with that mimetite stalactite popping up, is particularly appealing and unusual. It is complete on both sides. Overall a superb and dramatic small cab specimen!
A single, tabular .75 cm crystal, of lustrous and translucent, amber-colored wulfenite, is perched on a thin crust of lustrous, rich green mimetite which itself covers a limonite matrix. Aesthetic and typical combination from this new find
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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share specimen![Rosasite stalactite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/24-rosasite-ojuela-56mm_0512.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/24-rosasite-ojuela-56mm_0512.jpg)
![Rosasite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/22-rosasite-ojuela-60mm_0508.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/22-rosasite-ojuela-60mm_0508.jpg)
![Mimetite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-90mm_0804.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-90mm_0804.jpg)
![Mimetite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-107mm_0796.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-107mm_0796.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-82mm_0810.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-82mm_0810.jpg)
![Mimetite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-82mm_0809.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-82mm_0809.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-110mm_0798.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-110mm_0798.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite and Calcite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-84mm_0800.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-84mm_0800.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite and Calcite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-84mm_0869.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-84mm_0869.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-90mm_0799.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-90mm_0799.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-84mm_0807.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-84mm_0807.jpg)
![Wulfenite with Mimetite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-90mm_0864.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-90mm_0864.jpg)
![Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-87mm_0793.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-87mm_0793.jpg)
![Wulfenite with calcite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-93mm_0788.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-93mm_0788.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-83mm_0782.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-83mm_0782.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-83mm_0785.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-83mm_0785.jpg)
![Mimetite with Wulfenite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico [db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-58mm_0834.jpg]](db_pics/new2010/Mimetite-Wulfenite-MinaOjuela-Mexico-58mm_0834.jpg)