|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
from the collections of Desmond Sacco (South Africa & Namibia classics) & Jim Mann (Maine classics)
TNCOLL10-17 - Olivenite - AUS$ 2179 SOLD Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia thumbnail, 2.6 x 1.5 x 1.2 cm ex. Desmond Sacco
A stunning olivenite specimen - not the words you normally expect to see in the same sentence, I admit. But this piece features an olivenite crystal so thick and so robust, it looks like another species entirely. It has sick, wet lustre and shine to its surface, and is actually slightly curved, thus very elegant. IN PERSON, this is more dramatically 3-dimensional. It is , simply, a WORLD CLASS example of the species and stands out dramatically from almost any other I have seen. A larger, miniature sized version of this rare euhedral habit sold recently for nearly $50,000. This is the same quality, but in a full thumbnail size; and not just "small" but elegant and well proportioned with matrix, as well. A true competition-level beast of a thumbnail, ex Desmond Sacco Thumbnail Collection
TNCOLL10-18 - Cuprian Adamite - AUS$ 1961 SOLD Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia thumbnail, 3.2 x 1.8 x 1.5 cm ex. Desmond Sacco
As with the above olivenite specimen, this adamite is SO FAR BEYOND the norm, and so off the charts in quality, and so proportional as a thumbnail, that it transcends from being a "small rock" to another level entirely; and is in fact a competition-level trophy winner. Few adamites from Tsumeb attain this color saturation, lustre, and aesthetic. The crystals, to 1.2 cm, are sharp and glassy instead of the usual dull finish many have. The green color here is the most saturated green color you can ask in a cuprian adamite from Tsumeb. Although not quite pristine, all the major crystals are fine and the overall impact is high. The piece can be vertical or horizontal as you wish to display it, to equal effect. ex Desmond Sacco Thumbnail Collection
TNCOLL10-19 - Rhodochrosite - AUS$ 1961 SOLD N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa thumbnail, 2.2 x 1.5 x 1.2 cm ex. Desmond Sacco
From the major finds here of circa 1980, this is a gorgeous, complete-all-around, stalactite of crystallized rhodochrosite in sheaf-like clusters. This particular style has long been highly prized among collectors, and fine thumbnails of this quality are thus rare on the market today. They come up only from old collections. This is a pristine, 360-degree specimen with cherry-red color and brilliantly glassy lustre. It could not be bettr, for this size range, I think. Stalactitic growths like this also are quite uncommon. ex Desmond Sacco Thumbnail Collection (and he owns the mines, and has teh best collection of rhodos from their heyday, so that pedigree here really says something).
All Content and Design ©1996-2010 The ArkenstoneBy-species Galleries |
