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FROM THE COLLECTION OF CHARLES LOCKE KEY Swakopmund, Namibia collected over 40 years and featuring: large suites of Kalahari Manganese Field minerals of all kinds; Namibia suites of Oranje River, Brandberg and Goboboseb Quartz; Erongo Mountain minerals and other Namibian Classics; Congo and Kaokoveld Dioptase & malachite; and a diverse Worldwide Suite |
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K-185 - SPHALERITE included in Quartz - $400
Billinton Mine, near Kuruman, South Africa
small cabinet, 7.1 x 2.8 x 1.7 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A really neat locality piece with an approximately 8mm amber-colored, gorgeous sphaerlite crystal completely enclosed within the tip of this undamaged quartz point!
CKTSR-1 - SHATTUCKITE on PRIMARY MALACHITE on SHATTUCKITE-included QUARTZ - $4000
Kaokoveld, Namibia
miniature, 5 x 2.2 x 1.2 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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Amazing, visually stunning, piece with electric and chatoyant deep green, primary malachite perched on the blue quartz! The deep blue color is caused by shattuckite investing the quartz, so its sparkly and bright, not dull. A single non-included clear quartz is in the middle of the natural pedestal that serves as a base for the 2-inch , doubly-terminated malachite crystal! The color contrast is simply AMAZING. Note also the accenting shattuckite rosette atop the upper-left of the malachite !
CKTSR-2 - ETTRINGITE with Gaudefroyite - $3000 SOLD
N'Chwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 5 x 5 x 2.25 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A glowing yellow cluster of large, translucent, fat ettringite crystals on a bit of calcite matrix, and with contrasting black gaudefroyite upon the right side. The large crystal is fully terminated, though admittedly has a contact on the left side where it grew against another crystal no longer present. Still, the upright, freestanding crystal is extremely dramatic, is complete; and such crystals are rare. Usually they are flatlaying, whereas this is freestanding and vertical! The smaller crystal at the base is fully terminated and complete. Comes with custom lucite base. Comes with custom lucite display base.
CKTSR-3 - HENRITERMIERITE (XLS TO 1 CM) - $3000 SOLD
Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 4.5 x 4 x 3 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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An extremely fine specimen with both significance AND aesthetics, for this VERY RARE garnet species (i believe it is the only octohedral garnet?!). Charlie valued this at $4-5k, frankly. He felt, and I agree, that it is among the best of species. Not only do you have a large dominant crystal on a rich matrix, but the lustre is so sharp and bright that at first glance yoU THINK this is a magnetite from switzerland and NOT a rare manganese fields mineral!
CKTSR-4 - SHIGAITE on RHODOCHROSITE - $15000 SOLD
N'Chwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 3.2 x 2.5 x 1.5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A beautiful specimen, complete 360 degrees, hosting a translucent 2 cm shigaite perched on sparkly rhodo crystals! This is a piece of major importance in the world of rarities, and Charlie felt that for combination of size and aesthetics it was the best miniature from the find of the early 1980s that he could keep in his suite of personal Kalahari rarities of miniature size - this was in fact the pride of the collection, I'd say. it is NOT the fragile, thin, disclike crystal you expect to see form looking at the recently mined material. it is very thick, sturdy, and easily packed for shipping. Although a "toenail" size, it is important enough to take its place in a miiatures or rarities suite of stature, and is really irreplaceable.
CKTSR-5 - CALCITE (TWINNED) - $1450 SOLD
Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 5.5 x 5 x 3 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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Sharp, really amazing twinning displayed with unique aesthetics! The 4 cm twinned crystal is perched up on two rhomds, each showing raised and unusual faces but themselves not twinned. Stunning, in person! And, complete all around, 360.
CKTSR-6 - INESITE - $4500 SOLD
Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 6 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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Another superb example of inesite from this famous find! CHERRY RED, with translucency and glassy lustre, there really was only one pocket of this quality EVER.
CKTSR-7 - KUTNAHORITE ON MANGANOCALCITE PS. CALCITE TWIN - $3000
Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 4 x 3 x 2 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A complex specimen featuring sheaves of kutnahorite perched upon a twinned calcite crystal that has been completely replaced by manganoan calcite.... FLOATER! Unique, in my experience, for this particular combinaiton of qualities
CKTSR-8 - QUARTZ with SMOKY QUARTZ - $3000 SOLD
Namaqualand, Namibia
small cabinet, 8 x 6 x 3.5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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Incredible contrast in two common varietals of quartz, resulting in a NOT so common specimen! This is complete and well formed all around! Comes with custom lucite display base.
CKTSR-9 - FLUORITE - $1250 SOLD
Okaruso, Namibia
miniature, 5.5 x 4 x 3.5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A really gemmy, outstanding example of the dark green , glassy fluorite that made this locality famous in the early 1980s. Although mining is going on now, the quality like this hasn't been seen again. BEST COLOR!
CKTSR-10 - MAGNETITE in Chalcopyrite - $1500
Aggenys Mine, Kalahari Manganese Field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
small cabinet, 7 x 6 x 4 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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Who knew?! I had never hear dof anything from this mine except a few strangely formed rhodos, til Charlie's Collection surfaced. He has a whole suite of weird sulfide combinations from this locality, for example this one featuring SHARP alpine-quality magnetite in contrasting chalcopyrite matrix. The largest magnetite is 2 cm across! This is the best matrix specimen out of the whole lot of about 2 flats, which he had acucmulated over the years from a worker at the mine.
CKTSR-11 - INDICOLITE (NEUSCHWABEN TOURMALINE) cut & rough set - $2750 SOLD
Neuschwaben (Neu Schwaben), Karibib District, Erongo Region, Namibia
thumbnail, 2.25 x 1.5 x 1.2 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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GEM WEIGHT: 1.54 carats Extremely fine crystal and a matching cut stone of this classic deep blue, unheated, natural indicolite that once set the standard for blue hue in gem tourmalines.
CKTSR-12 - DIOPTASE on chrysocolla - $4000
Kaokoveld, Namibia
small cabinet, 6.5 x 5.5 x 5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A beautiful specimen with unusual contrast both in color and in relief...most Kaokoveld dioptases are pretty flat on the matrix but this one features fat, 3-D crystals that are themselves standing largely free atop a rounded knoll of matrix, for double effect. The piece has a 3-cm-long cluster atop with two intergrown, doubly-terminated diop crystals hangiging out into space. It is VERY dramatic. The crystals are 2.5 and 2 cm in size, and again are doubly-terminated. Smaller crystals provide accent. At first glance, we had appraised this at a much higher price. On very close inspection, you can see a small chip, probably one form geological time that has been partly healed over because it is so hard to see, in the left-rear side of the smaller crystal in the cluster. I have to be hnest and admit this detracts a bit, from ONE angle out of four for potential display, and from the overall quality of condition...but visually, its really a pretty trivial damage and in a backwater spot, so you get a lot of visual impact for the buck on this specimen ; and it remains in my mind a very significant and impactful Kaokoveld dioptase.
CKTSR-13 - MALACHITE on CHRYSOCOLLA stalactite - $4000 SOLD
Star of the Congo Mine, Lubumbashi, Shaba (Katanga), Congo (former Zaïre)
small cabinet, 7 x 5 x 3.5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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Quite simply, for the color contrast and striking sculptural quality of form, one of the most striking stalactites of any mineral that I have ever seen! Wow! I have never seen this combination in such quality, before. Comes with custom lucite display base.
CKTSR-14 - ETTRINGITE on CALCITE - $750
N'Chwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 5.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A beautiful piece with the most intense lemon yellow hue! This specimen has several large scaleohedral calcites completely draped on one side by lemon yellow ettringite druse. It is just COLOR. The very tippy-tips are cleaved slightly, but it does not detract from the show value of the specimen at all since it is not readily noticeable.
CKTSR-15 - JACOBSITE with crystals to 6mm - $4500
Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 5 x 4 x 3.25 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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BRIGHT crystals that are so sharp and lustorus you would think them to be magnetite...for quality, amazing for the species. Additionally, for both isolation and aesthetics, this is a superior miniature display specimen of the species. Taken together, Charlie felt this was the finest example he had seen in his decades in South African mineral dealing.
CKTSR-16 - HEMATITE (twinned) with CALCITE - $11500 SOLD
Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 4.5 x 3 x 3 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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In the entire collection, this is perhaps my favorite miniature specimen, in terms of beauty and competition-level worthiness. It features a twinned, mirror-bright, 3 x 3 x 2.75 cm crystal on matrix, with accents of calcite. It displays magnificently vertically as shown or horizontally as well. Totally pristine and complete all around save for a small natural contact on one edge of the lower-rear, this is as close to a "jewel" as you can ever ask for a "black" mineral species! It HAS TO BE among the finest imagineable hematite miniatures, but more than that its a damned good miniature, period.
CKTSR-21 - ILMENITE on SMOKY QUARTZ - $8500 SOLD
Erongo Mountains, Namibia
cabinet, 9 x 7 x 5 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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This is one of Charlie's two best ilmenites...he said that he rushed to the find, when they came out, and obtained the best of the lot along with only one other SA collector (whos epiece was pictured recently in the MR for comparison). Charlie felt that for size and sharpness, and overall display, this is the best. You can see it is a very 3-dimensional specimen with beautiful, geometric form and a really nice complementing balance of smokies with the ilmenites amongst which they grow. I think these are world class ilmenites for the species, especially because they are relatively beautiful and less earthy than usual in this size. The smokies, and the perfection of the piece overall in its display, make it of a quality for any collector to consider, not just those who like the "rare uglies"!
CKTSR-22 - ILMENITE on SMOKY QUARTZ, with Ferberite and Topaz - $4000
Erongo Mountains, Namibia
small cabinet, 7 x 6 x 4 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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A somewhat more elegant but less massive specimen featuring, this time, an ilmenite perched ON the smokies instead of vice versa. This specimen ALSO HOSTS, in the middle zone of sparkling brown you see there, ferberite and a small 8 mm topaz as well as probably other species that are micros. It is extremely aesthetic, overall, for what it is...and the crystal is complete around the upper termination and sides around to the back face
CKTSR-23 - AQUAMARINE on SMOKY QUARTZ - $1200 SOLD
Erongo Mountains, Namibia
thumbnail, 2.5 x 2.25 x 1.6 cm
ex. Charlie Key
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One of the choicest thumbnails in the collection, featuring a transparent, read-through, blue aqua perched on smoky! What perfect, complementing balance! The aqua rises through the smoky, which has grown around the base of the aqua. No damage, and complete and pristine all around save for a very shallow natural contact on the smoky that is hard to see anyhow, at its base. The aqua has PERFECT and highly bevelled termination
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