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BEM-62 - Pearceite - $4500 Niehart, Cascade County, Montana miniature, 3.6 x 1.2 x 1.2 cm
This is a lustrous, major crystal of a very rare species from Butte or anywhere, here at a world class level. This is a monster for the size and has superb form as well. It is complete all around. ex. American Museum of Natural History , with modern label present, exchanged to Larry Conklin some 20 years ago and since in his private rarities/miniatures collection. Courtesy of Montana dealer and collector Chris Tucker: Your pearceite, BEM-62 really looks like Neihart material! I assume that the white material is barite, and if so, is very common for Neihart. Similar pieces came from the Queen of the Hills, Moulton, Florence, Big Seven, and Galt mines all at Neihart. (In the late 1800s, Lazard) Cahn handled a bunch of material from Neihart and I wouldn't be surprised if it came from him as well.
BEM-10 - Calomel - $1250 Mariposa Mine, Terlingua District, Brewster County, Texas miniature, 3.0 x 2.5 x 1.0 cm
A rich, nearly solid mass of gemmy calomel crystals to 6mm with minor eglestonite and cinnabar, from this important and classic locale for the species. They turn opaque in sunlight as you normally see them, so lustroug crystals of this quality are most uncommon.
BEM-11 - Ferrimolybdite - $900 SOLD Kingman District, Mohave County, Arizona miniature, 5.1 x 3.3 x 1.6 cm
A superb, unusually rich specimen of CRYSTALLIZED Ferrimolybdite from a classic locality , probably from the early 1900s. Usually one sees only a crust of microcrystals with no distinct form, but here we have true crystals. Rich on both sides of the specimen. ex. American Museum of Natural History, with label
BEM-12 - Chloritoid - $3250 Nuristan, Kunar Province, Afghanistan small cabinet, 6.3 x 3.5 x 3.0 cm
An unusually displayable chloritoid cluster in that it is on matrix (contrasting matrix at that!), and has multiple crystals (to 3 cm) instead of the usual broken single crystal one so often sees. Chloritoid is very rare, and great crystals, the world's best, seem to have come out from only one aberrant find in Afghanistan about 1999-2000. Notable specimens made their way into several prominent collections at the time, mostly coming through dealer Herb Obodda, as with this one which was sold to Lawrence Conklin in NYC at the time for his personal collection of rare species miniatures. This is a very showy specimen because of the contrast as the jet black, lustrous, chloritoid crystals perch upon quartz. Minor bright red rutile serves as an accent on the quartz mass.
BEM-13 - Moschellandsbergite - $5000 SOLD Carolina Mine, Landsberg, Obermoschel, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany miniature, 4.4 x 3.8 x 2.7 cm
This is a VERY RARE matrix moschellandsbergite from a famous and important find in the mid-1800's (the species was only actually described some time later!). As with sexier minerals like phosphophyllite and legrandite, I buy every good mosch that I see come my way because they are so rare, and have not been equalled by any other find in so long. This specimen features razor-sharp elongated crystals to 1.2 cm, 3 of them cresting a knob of silver-rich ore matrix. It is complete all around and unlike most such specimens, not a bad display piece at all. The number of good matrix moschellandsbergites around is probably only a few dozen, with most in museums and prominent european collections already. This one was in the collection of French exploration geologist Jean Behier, before ending up in the personal rarities suite collection of dealer Lawrence Conklin. Year of Discovery: 1938 in material from this , the type locality . i am told there were two matrix specimens at Tucson, both over 10k, neither as good...
BEM-14 - Britholite-(Ce) - $450 Tuperssuatsiat Bay, Ilimaussaq complex, Narsaq, Kitaa (West Greenland) Province, Greenland miniature, 3.9 x 2.9 x 1.0 cm
A very lustrous, compound crystal of this very rare mineral from the Greenland suite. I am told that it is uncommon in such size and richness. The faces on the left and top are probably natural, with the lower-right faces being cleavage planes. This specimen was exchanged to Harvard University from the University of Copenhagen Museum collection, before being traded out to Lawrence Conklin. From the type locality
BEM-15 - Silver (isolated crystals on copper) - $600 Wolverine mine, Keweenaw County, Michigan miniature, 5.2 x 4.2 x 1.8 cm
An unusual copper country specimen featuring 2 isolated, sharp, distinct silver crystals perched upon a large and hefty "mass" of copper that appears crystalline on the surface but in an odd flattenned manner. Such a separation, with such stark contrast, of the two elements is uncommon.
BEM-16 - Azurite - $3000 ON HOLD Longfellow Mine, Clifton, Clifton-Morenci District, Greenlee County, Arizona miniature, 3.6 x 2.7 x 2.6 cm
An important historic specimen from the time before the Clifton and Morenci mines were consolidated into one big open pit, in the early 1900s. The quality of this miniature is amazing, though, especially given its long history of survival! The crystals are sharp and lustrous with no wear, and it is a floater - complete all around! ex. Columbia College collection.
BEM-17 - Argyrodite - $2500 SOLD Himmelsfürst Mine, Brand-Erbisdorf, Freiberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany miniature, 4.9 x 3.2 x 2.3 cm
Argyrodite is one of the rarest collectible silver species to obtain in a good display specimen. I buy every one I come across, which is about 10 pieces in the last 20 years...not too common! Argyrodite is an extremely rare GERMANIUM-containing silver sulfide and occurs at its best from this type locality (late 1800s) and from Bolivia as well (same era, into the early 1900s). Year of Discovery: 1886 at this , the type locality. This particular specimen is actually "beautiful" as far as they go, because it has some 3-dimensionality and can be displayed to show dramatically the clusters of 3-4mm Argyrodite crystals atop. They rest on a matrix of pyrite and silver ore. VERY fine display miniature! From the miniature rarities suite of Lawrence Conklin
BEM-18 - Chloroxiphite with Diaboleite in Mendipite - $1250 Higher Pitts Mine, Priddy, near the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England miniature, 4.7 x 2.8 x 1.9 cm
This is an important species and locality specimen, featuring a 1.5 cm crystal of Chloroxiphite in Mendipite,with minor blue Diaboleite in association. Its worth something for the Mendipite alone! The chloroxiphite is particularly displayable as well as large. From the miniature rarities suite of Lawrence Conklin, who exchanged it from the American Museum of Natural History. Year of Discovery: 1923 at this , the type locality .
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