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Mineral Specimens with Calcite
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4.2 x 3.8 x 1.7 cm. A fine miniature size specimen featuring excellent quality, doubly-terminated, sharp, gemmy, lustrous, prismatic, purple color "reverse" scepter crystals and simple prisms of Amethyst measuring up to 2.5 cm sitting atop grey modified rhombohedra of Calcite on matrix. This piece is remarkable for Bolivia as it features a type of crystallization that is virtually unheard of from any mine down there.
An extremely rich specimen of elegant silver wires and ropes literally erupting from a heavy silver-quartz matrix. In person, the contrast between the silver and the sparkling quartz druse filling the middle of the specimen is really quite striking and unusual. It is a rich, hefty piece for the price! 11.6 x 7.1 x 7 cm
3.1 x 2.1 x 1.9 cm. A small cluster of semi-transparent calcite crystals to 1.8cm, with bright shiny copper included within. The scalenohedral calcite crystals are sharp and well-formed with no significant damage. Michigan calcites with copper came from several mines in the district, but almost all came out almost 100 years ago. Few clusters appear on the market, with most specimens being singles. This specimen comes with a label indicating the piece was purchased from a William Collins on June 3, 1935. Ex. Richard Hauck Collection.
6.6 x 4.9 x 4.7 cm. Illustrated in ExtraLapis: Calcite issue, page 8, as the stereotypical of a sharp calcite rhombohedron in a discussion of the forms of calcite, this is a truly spectacular example of the classical rhombohedral form of calcite, from Tsumeb. The huge calcite rhomb is colorless, lustrous, transparent, and measures to 4 cm on edge. The matrix of copper has a green patina, and is laced with tiny copper included calcite crystals. This is an elegant calcite matrix piece from the heyday of Tsumeb. It is perfect in form and symmetry and undamaged save for a very minor bruising along one edge of the lower left. This was exchanged by me recently from the well-known calcite collection of Francis and Patricia Benjamin.
6.0 x 3.0 x 2.9 cm. The famous Mina Ojuela has produced a new find (2009) of this beautiful and striking combination material. Glassy, transparent calcite rhombs to 1.8 cm across richly and aesthetically line a sculptural vug in starkly contrasting, sturdy, gossan matrix. Portions of the calcite rhombs are included with vivid aurichalcite and some are not, which really adds to the attractiveness of this fine piece. A stunning new find.
4.7 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm. An interesting looking specimen of a 2.0 cm, radial aggregate of translucent, cream-colored strontianite perched atop a box-work limestone matrix covered with calcite and colorless fluorite microcrystals. The fluorite fluoresces purple and the strontianite has light-yellow fluorescence.
5.4 x 3.5 x 2.8 cm. Two diverging sprays of splendent, beautifully striated, stainless steel-gray stibnite blades dramatically accented with tiny calcite rhombs form an excellent and aesthetic specimen from finds 5-7 years ago from the well-known Xikuangshan Mine of Hunan Province. The recent finds at the Wuning Mine do not produce the interesting stibnite/calcite association pieces, such as this. Ex. Marty Lewadny Collection.
3.8 x 3.5 x 1.9 cm. A really nice and aesthetic combination specimen of absolutely limpid and beautiful, pastel-green fluorite cubes with highly lustrous, very light amber calcite disks from recent finds at the Xianghuapu Mine of China. The large fluorite cube is 1.4 cm and the large calcite is 2.2 cm. All of the fluorite cubes have very interesting, frosted, beveled edges and have the absolutely stunning, TV garden-effect, when you look into the fluorite cubes. This is contemporary classic combination material of excellent quality. Ex. Plavic and Lewadny Collections.
1.7 x 1.2 x 0.9 cm. A classic, old-time thumbnail from the historic Freiberg District of Germany. A sharp, lustrous, battleship-gray acanthite crystal is attractively embedded in starkly contrasting calcite. Aesthetic material from the George Feist Collection #1363.
4.0 x 3.8 x 2.4 cm. Another unique calcite specimen from the famed mines at Dal’negorsk, this one from the Bor Pit. A striking, water-clear, 1.5 cm, sharp, hexagonal calcite crystal is perched, like a hat, on a colorless, glassy calcite scalenohedron. The scalenohedron is set on a flat, prismatic, calcite crystal, that has smaller calcites growing both upward and downward. A stunning, nearly pristine calcite varietal from Dal’negorsk. Ex. Daniel Trinchillo Sr. Collection.
13.8 x 9.8 x 8.5 cm. An old-time, cabinet calcite crystal from the Joplin Field of the Tri-State District. This large, lustrous, translucent scalenohedron has rich, golden-amber color. One side is a very well-striated, single crystal, while the other side consists mostly of stepped-growth, calcite crystals. The termination is particularly gemmy and lustrous. The stepped-growth side is very nearly pristine. Classic large material from this historic area from the Daniel Trinchillo Sr. Collection.
This crystal has amazing size and quality for the locality, and at 4.5 cm tall should be considered quite significant. I have seen many crystals from here, but few of this size are in good condition. The lustre is silky and quite appealing in person, better than in the photo. It is almost doubly-terminated, too; and save for a few small contacted areas at the very bottom of the crystal it would be. 5.3 x 4.2 x 3.4 cm
12.1 x 7.1 x 5.1 cm. A large crystal of gemmy, doubly-terminated, golden calcite measuring 11.0 cm across contrasts beautifully with its matrix of deep lavender, translucent fluorite. This is certainly one of the largest and gemmiest of the style I have seen from the mine, which is now defunct as is the rest of the old fluorspar district here. The piece is really striking, in person, and has a pronounced internal lustre to it. Ex. Dr. Edward David Collection.
5.1 x 5.1 x 2.0 cm. Sharp, lustrous acanthite (formerly argentite) crystals to 9mm nestled in a small pocket of calcite crystals on a massive calcite matrix. The largest acanthite crystal appears to have been hollowed out or "hoppered" during formation yet is still well terminated. Unique, old European classics like this are very difficult to obtain. Ex. Richard Hauck Collection.
5.7 x 5.4 x 4.5 cm. A fine piece containing the dominant cubic and octahedral crystal forms of fluorite in crystals starkly adjacent to one another. The cubes are translucent, medium green crystals with both sharp corners and modified corners, but the piece is made by a superb 2.4 cm octahedron coated with contrasting stark white calcite.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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