specimens from the AL ORDWAY COLLECTION

specimens from the
AL ORDWAY COLLECTION

Al Ordway (1935-2007) was a well-known California field collector, trader, and mentor to many. You can read more about him at his online bio on the Mineralogical Record website: http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=1143. He passed away in 2007 doing what he loved, digging for mineral specimens. His collection only recently came to the market in 2011.

His 2000-piece collection included notable suites of San Diego pegmatites, California borates, and Canadian phosphates among others, but was really a mix illustrating his love for all minerals common and rare, ugly and pretty. However, I always thought his borates were among the best of what I had seen , even in the other few great collections of such things in California, and I am pleased to offer some of the pieces here.

US$ € EURO ¥ YEN £ POUND CAN$ AUS$
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ORDWAY-93 - Analcime - £ 99
Skookumchuck Dam, near Tenino, Thurston County, Washington, USA
small cabinet, 8.7 x 4.7 x 3.9 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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A rich locality specimen of ivory colorled analcime crystals to 5 cm across. The three largest crystals are all doubly terminated.

ORDWAY-89 - Topaz - £ 628
Mimoso do Sul, Espirito Santo, Brazil
small cabinet, 7.4 x 6.7 x 5.3 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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This is a fine, near pristine, aesthetic cluster of three glassy and gemmy, colorless topaz crystals. The largest is an equant crystal measuring 5.5 cm in every direction. Near the base of the large crystal are four parallel (internal) lines exhibiting the perfect basal cleavage of topaz - interesting contrast to the geometry of the outside crystal. The piece is complete all around and has a sparkly, glassy appearance to it that is very attractive. This is an excellent example of a quality specimen from the heyday of Brazilian minerals. 386 grams. Obtained in 1995 from a major Brazilian dealer, but it probably dates back to the 70s or before , by style.

ORDWAY-85 - Colemanite - £ 50
Thompson Shaft, Furnace Creek Wash, Ryan, Inyo Co., California, USA
miniature, 3.0 x 1.9 x 1.6 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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This is a fascinating miniature of colemanite with two lustrous and translucent, bicolored crystals to 3 cm in length.The crystals exhibit a dark amber color at their terminations with an ivory color in the center. In addition, the largest crystal is also doubly terminated.

ORDWAY-80 - Tincalconite ps. After Borax - £ 991
U.S. Borax open pit (Boron pit), Boron, Kramer District, Kern Co., California, USA
cabinet, 11.3 x 7.9 x 6.8 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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This is a stunning specimen that is so sharp, it looks carved. It is so rare to find them preserved like this, and complete all around as well. A cluster of large tincalconite crystals after borax, to 7 cm in length, exhibit smooth and solid chalky white faces. The interesting crystallogrphy of the original borax crystals is clearly preserved. This is a striking, very lightweight , 3-dimensional "sculpture" of snow-white pseudomorphs of tincalconite after sharp, tabular borax crystals from the U.S Borax Mine of California. Complete all-around and essentially pristine, like porcelain in its finish! A rare and very unusual pseudomorph. Excellent material from this famous district. They are so lightweight you really have trouble believing these are natural crystals, but they are. This is just outstanding. Al Ordway's label indicates he self-colelcted it in 1963.

ORDWAY-79 - Colemanite - £ 165
Thompson Shaft, Furnace Creek Wash, Ryan, Inyo Co., California, USA
small cabinet, 8.0 x 6.5 x 5.0 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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A fine, large crystal of lustrous and translucent, equant, colemanite measuring 4.2 cm across is aesthetically perched on smaller colemanite crystals. Partial secondary overgrowths on the main crystal have given it a slightly amber hue. Unusual robust form combined with coloration makes these desirable. Old material, surely.

ORDWAY-76 - Colemanite - £ 132
U.S. Borax open pit (Boron pit), Boron, Kramer District, Kern Co., California, USA
small cabinet, 9.2 x 5.8 x 4.5 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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Multiple, spearpoint, bladed, lustrous and translucent, crystals of grayish-white colemanite to 3.8 cm in length have combined to form a bowtie effect. At one end, the tips of some of the crystals have been damaged but this cannot be seen when properly displayed.

ORDWAY-75 - Colemanite on Ulexite - £ 198
U.S. Borax open pit (Boron pit), Boron, Kramer District, Kern Co., California, USA
cabinet, 10.3 x 3.2 x 3.0 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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A stalactitic crystal of fibrous, pearlescent, and translucent, snow-white ulexite, measuring 9 cm in length, is festooned with lustrous and translucent, white crystals of colemanite, to 1 cm in length. Unusual! I have not seen this association before. It comes with a label indicating it was collected by Jim Minette, here, in 1980.

ORDWAY-74 - Hanksite - £ 1190
Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA
large cabinet, 16.3 x 13.8 x 7.4 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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Emplaced on snow white tincaconite, an alteration product of other borate minerals, are several very fine, translucent hanksite crystals to 8 cm across. The largest crystals are also doubly terminated and exhibit a not-so-ugly gray color. This is a superb example of the species! Self-collected by Al Ordway over many trips to this locality. NOTE: these are coated with mineral oil to preserve them from dehydration in humid environments - best kept in cool, dry environments.

ORDWAY-73 - Hanksite - £ 264
Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA
small cabinet, 7.8 x 5.4 x 5.4 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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This is a single, large, doubly terminated, floater hanksite crystal.It exhibits a matte luster with good translucence and a grayish-yellow color. Self-collected by Al Ordway over many trips to this locality. NOTE: these are coated with mineral oil to preserve them from dehydration in humid environments - best kept in cool, dry environments.

ORDWAY-72 - Hanksite - £ 165
Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA
small cabinet, 8.8 x 6.2 x 5.2 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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A near floater, this hanksite specimen features several intergrown crystals. It exhibits some luster,an attractive greenish -gray color and fair translucence. It is significantly different in color and form from the other hanksite specimens in this update. Self-collected by Al Ordway over many trips to this locality. NOTE: these are coated with mineral oil to preserve them from dehydration in humid environments - best kept in cool, dry environments.

ORDWAY-69 - Pyrrhotite with Sphalerite and Siderite - £ 991
Trepca, Yugoslavia
large cabinet, 16.0 x 14.0 x 8.9 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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Composed of unusually thickly-interwoven, lustrous, brassy yellow crystals of pyyrhotite to 6.5 cm on edge, this specimen also is decorated by a few lustrous black sphalerite crystals to 1 cm across. In addition, the whole specimen is studded with rounded aggregates of rhombohedral, tan siderite, to 5 mm across. Nice color contrast, and a sharp metallic, carved look to it, make this piece stand out. As well, it is HUGE for this old classic locale! This monster classic weighs 7.5 pounds!

ORDWAY-68 - Grossular Garnet with Diopside - £ 330
Crestmore Quarry, Riverside County, California, USA
cabinet, 14.3 x 8.2 x 3.7 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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The Crestmore quarry was one of the favorite collecting sites for Al Ordway and this specimen is a good example of the kind of rare material he put away. It features many lustrous and translucent, cinnamon-colored grossular crystals to 1.5 cm across, associated with a few prismatic, lustrous and slightly translucent, diopside crystals (to 2 cm in length). Obtained by collecting it in 1969, according to the label.

ORDWAY-67 - Idocrase - £ 628
Kayes Region, Mali
cabinet, 10.9 x 8.9 x 7.7 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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This is an incredibly large and almost complete floater crystal of idocrase/vesuvianite. It exhibits very good luster and some translucence at the edges. The color ranges from olive green to brownish green. It may be the single largest, fine idocrase/vesuvianite crystal I have ever seen, come to think of it. THe piece has a few good display angles. The back is contacted and there is a little damage in bottom. Still, I have seen tables of mediocre and small pieces from this locale, but this is actually pretty, attractive, and symmetric!

ORDWAY-66 - Fluorite - £ 397
Ludlow, San Bernardino Co., California, USA
large cabinet, 15.0 x 9.8 x 5.0 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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Lavender-colored, translucent, octahedrons of fluorite, in crystals to 1 cm across are emplaced on matrix. Around the outer edges of the specimen, the fluorite takes on a green color. I had not seen fluorite from San Bernardino County before, myself. This was in a labelled flat of pieces that Al apparently self-collected, though we do not know when.

ORDWAY-65 - Cerussite var. Schwarzbleierz - £ 1157
Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia
small cabinet, 6.5 x 4.4 x 4.3 cm

ex. Al Ordway

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Twinned crystals of very lustrous, translucent, smoky-colored cerussite, to 2 cm in length, exhibit a tan color when backlit. But this rare smoky color was highly desired by the early Tsumeb collectors and I am told dates back to the early 1900s. At the time, the miners and collectors called it "Schwarzbleierz" (black ore of lead), and it was the most rare form of cerussite. It is a very sparkly, glassy piece and only the smallest amount of contact/damage is present - which is rare considering the inherent softness of cerussite. More info here: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerussit

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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com

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