From a private collection, this piece was purchased in the mid 1980s when the find came out, and never trimmed down from the big chunk I found it in when purchased�which was lucky, indeed, as the larger rock protected this pocket in a crevasse. This is one of the larger, and certainly one of the showier, hot pink calcites that I have seen come back on the market. It has intense color saturation, top lustre, and a moderate gemminess. The overall richness and dimensionality of the piece, make it very dramatic on a shelf.. Joe Budd photos

A hot pink plate of sharp, rhombohedral smithsonite crystals. These crystals have a richer, more saturated pink color than one usually sees in this style of smithsonite from Tsumeb, which tends to be either darker or less colorful. This is a large and showy piece, as well. Probably collected in the 1970s to early 1980s, this was in the Tsumeb collection of noted dealer Rob Smith. Comes with custom lucite display base. Joe Budd Photos.

This dramatic piece is from a special pocket found in early 2011, and to date not equaled from the mine. Many people are saying that these arsenopyrites, for luster and sharpness, rank among the world's best of species. In person, they have a pure silver color and a sparkle to them caused by minute surface detailing, like the skin of a lizard but much, much finer in scale. On this piece, the arsenopyrite is displayed dramatically upright, atop a natural pedestal of green hedenbergite. A small cluster of ilvaite pops out one side as a bonus. Pristine, and complete all around. It is one of the most elegant such specimens we have seen, and reminds me of a closed Chinese fan. These will be remembered as one of the major species' best finds of the decade, I expect. And for its size and shape, I think this piece will always be among the best in its size class. Joe Budd Photos.