Mineral Specimens with Gold

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MD-270411 - Gold - - Archived
Lake Carey, Western Australia, Australia
miniature, 3.8 x 3.5 x 2.4 cm.
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Gold from Lake Carey, Western Australia, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270411b.jpg]

3.8 x 3.5 x 2.4 cm. I have seen a lot of Australian golds over the years and among them there are few I treasure more than specimens which show these strange, large crystallized casts, very rarely found amidst the common "nuggets". This is an unusual locality from which not much specimen gold is produced, and this specimen was in the F. John Barlow Collection (sold off in 1998). He was a notorious gold collector, with hundreds of specimens from worldwide localities, each aiming for a unique quality or feature. It has a huge octahedron measuring 2 cm across. This piece now is actually a thick cast of gold over an earlier (one wonders, brief?!) generation of the ancient octahedral gold crystal once at its core. Somehow, during the specimen's formation or a later re-melting sequence, the form of the original octahedron was preserved as a hollow cast here. Nevertheless, the specimen is surprisingly hefty at 77 grams and is very robust. I find it particularly interesting to see the 2 cm octahedron perched next to a ropey, elongated, "tortured" outgrowth, making for a nice contrast.

MD-270414 - Gold - - Archived
Kuskokwim Mts, Yukon-Koyukuk Borough, Alaska, USA
small cabinet, 6.6 x 2.0 x 1.1 cm.
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Gold from Kuskokwim Mts, Yukon-Koyukuk Borough, Alaska, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270414b.jpg]

6.6 x 2.0 x 1.1 cm. This is one of the most attractive Alaska nuggets, of any size, we have seen in recent years. It is a very elongated, elegant specimen that is complete-all-around. It has a fine lustre and bright color to it, with little of the crackling you often see in larger Alaska pieces. Purchased from an old collection sold at Tucson in 2005, this has been with me since. Weighs 77 grams.

MD-270416 - Gold - - Archived
Sonora, Mexico
miniature, 3.4 x 2.2 x 0.4 cm.
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Gold from Sonora, Mexico [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270416a.jpg]
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Gold from Sonora, Mexico [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270416c.jpg]

3.4 x 2.2 x 0.4 cm. This is a flat, pancake-like gold from Mexico, from where we see few specimen nuggets come to light despite its other mineral riches. Note the intricate crystallization on the surface. It was formerly in the collection of the late Dr. Miguel Romero, and was on loan display to the University of Arizona for about 10 years in their main showcases. Romero's label (and the Museum's) denotes the locality as Mexico. I am told it is probably from Sonora, but in all honesty any detailed records are lost and so the locality can only be said for certain to be Mexican in origin (as befitting his collection, which was the best of Mexico). Weighs 12 grams.

MD-270420 - Gold - - Archived
Mina Zapata, Santa Elena de Uairen, Bolívar, Venezuela
miniature, 3.4 x 2.6 x 1.8 cm.
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Gold from Mina Zapata, Santa Elena de Uairen, Bolívar, Venezuela [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270420b.jpg]

3.4 x 2.6 x 1.8 cm. These sharp, complex gold crystals showing complex hoppered crystallization have become a modern classic that stand among the great gold specimens of all time. Very few specimens like these giants have been found at other locales (most notably Alta Floresta in Brazil a few years ago), not for the combination of size and sharpness both. This particular, large crystal is a superb example, complete-all-around, with particularly equant "fins" radiating out from the middle axis. It is a full miniature and until recently was in the noted collection of Gene Meieran of Phoenix, AZ. I obtained it from him in exchange in Tucson of 2007. Gene is himself a gold specialist, and so the fact that this was one of his several examples from here adds a bit of confidence to my estimation of its quality. I feel confident knowing that he had so much more opportunity, context, and knowledge base than I, as a serious gold collector, when he picked this specimen. He was able to examine these and purchase several of the finest when they were coming out in the mid 1990s (mostly), in part through his friend, dealer Wayne Thompson. This particular specimen was long in the Meieran collection and in fact was exhibited in a well-known combination exhibition of native elements (gold, silver, platinum, copper) that was on view at the Tucson show some years ago.

MD-270431 - Gold - - Archived
Unspecified deposit, Nevada City District (Grass Valley District), Nevada Co., California, USA
miniature, 4.2 x 3.6 x 1.8 cm.
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Gold from Unspecified deposit, Nevada City District (Grass Valley District), Nevada Co., California, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270431b.jpg]

4.2 x 3.6 x 1.8 cm. This is a large, very complex matrix nugget with lots of interesting indentations and outgrowths, clustered like a windblown tree upon a bit of brown matrix inside. It is a very hefty piece. This came out of an old collection of gold, sold at Tucson in 2005, that had many old California specimens. It was said to be from an unpsecified locality in the Grass Valley district, collected in the 1960s or earlier, and I was later told by a gold expert that in style this does indeed correspond to the Grass Valley area in habit and matrix. Weighs 67 grams.

MD-270433 - Gold - - Archived
Wychitella, Wedderburn, Victoria, Australia
miniature, 3.2 x 1.6 x 1.2 cm.
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Gold from Wychitella, Wedderburn, Victoria, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270433a.jpg]

3.2 x 1.6 x 1.2 cm. A superb, complete-all-around, and very 3-dimensional crystallized nugget. Such are rare from Australia, and this is a great large-thumbnail-sized example featuring a 1 cm octahedral crystal atop its perch, like a "torch". Weighs 25 grams or about 5/6 troy ounce. Wedderburn golds have a very distinctive look to them, a little brassier in color and with generally robust crystallized nuggets

MD-270435 - Gold - - Archived
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
small cabinet, 6.4 x 4.9 x 3.0 cm.
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Gold from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270435b.jpg]

6.4 x 4.9 x 3.0 cm. This is an aesthetic, 3-dimensional cluster of gold that shows clear crystalline form, though swirled and rounded into this boot-like shape. Weighing 170 grams or approximately 5 troy ounces, this is a very displayable and impressive nugget that is not just the typical flat pancake from this famous goldfield.

MD-270438 - Gold - - Archived
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
small cabinet, 5.6 x 4.4 x 2.5 cm.
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Gold from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270438b.jpg]

5.6 x 4.4 x 2.5 cm. A very elaborate, 3-dimensional cluster of gold that shows complex and minute crystallization patterns, and is overall hackly in texture. Weighing 130 grams or approximately 4.25 troy ounces, this is a very displayable and impressive nugget that is not just the typical flat pancake from this famous goldfield.

MD-270441 - Gold - - Archived
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
small cabinet, 5.6 x 3.0 x 2.7 cm.
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Gold from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270441a.jpg]

5.6 x 3.0 x 2.7 cm. This is a very dense (surprisingly hefty), 3-dimensional cluster of gold that shows complex and minute crystallization patterns, and is overall robust but not hackly in texture. Weighing 140 grams or approximately 4.5 troy ounces, this is a very displayable and impressive nugget that is not just the typical flat pancake from this famous goldfield.

MD-270442 - Gold - - Archived
Mother Lode (Mother Lode belt), Tuolumne Co., California, USA
miniature, 3.6 x 3.1 x 1.5 cm.
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Gold from Mother Lode (Mother Lode belt), Tuolumne Co., California, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270442b.jpg]

3.6 x 3.1 x 1.5 cm. A hackly, complex mass of slender, elongated crystals perched on limonitic matrix this is a very hefty piece for the size. It weighs 58 grams and is nearly solid gold. In the midst of the unusual nest of slender crystals smothering the matrix is one single larger crystal 1.2 cm, of unusual habit. It looks like a twisted bar, in appearance. Unusual, old material from the classic Mother Lode District.

MD-270445 - Gold - - Archived
Yuba River Placers area, Nevada Co., California, USA
small cabinet, 8.3 x 2.8 x 2.3 cm.
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Gold from Yuba River Placers area, Nevada Co., California, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270445c.jpg]

8.3 x 2.8 x 2.3 cm. This is a beautiful nugget of approximately 6 ounces that comes from the historic Yuba River placers area. It was mined and kept in a family collection since the 1950s or 1960s, I was told by my source, who sold that particular family collection. It has a bright, brassy patina, really interesting and curvaceous form, and a lot of surface volume for the weight. Weighs 182 grams. For this locality, it is outstanding.

MD-270449 - Gold - - Archived
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
cabinet, 9.6 x 4.3 x 2.4 cm.
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Gold from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270449a.jpg]

9.6 x 4.3 x 2.4 cm. This is a really large, hackly mass of gold encrusting a central core of light-mass limonitic matrix, from the classic Aussie goldfields. It has a lot of size and character for a nugget from here, not the usual pancake style. The large amount of matrix enmeshed by the gold is a nice touch, and somewhat unusual. This matrix does not comprise much of the mass, though, which is certainly approximately 95% gold by weight. Weighs 284 grams.

MD-270450 - Gold - - Archived
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
small cabinet, 9 x 6.5 x 1.5 cm.
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Gold from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270450b.jpg]

9 x 6.5 x 1.5 cm. This is not one of your typical flattish nuggets from the more common Aussie locales. It is a "pancake", flattish and so presenting a lot of surface area for the mass. It looks like it was made by an artist twisting and swirling the molten gold as it fell, like thick, 3-dimensional brush-strokes on an underlying gold infrastructure. The specimen encases a few small quartz crystals, and has its natural patina: Too often these are cleaned to within an inch of their lives with hydrofluoric acid, and the quartz boiled off in the process. Weighs 239 grams or about 7.7 troy ounces.

MD-270452 - Gold - - Archived
Mother Lode (Mother Lode belt), Tuolumne Co., California, USA
small cabinet, 6.2 x 3.2 x 1.5 cm.
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Gold from Mother Lode (Mother Lode belt), Tuolumne Co., California, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270452b.jpg]

6.2 x 3.2 x 1.5 cm. This is a very hefty piece, at 103 grams, from a classic old US locality. This came out of an old collection of gold, sold at Tucson in 2005, that had many old California specimens. It was said to be from the Mother Lode district, collected in the 1960s or earlier, and I was later told by a gold expert that in style this does indeed correspond to the Southern Lode and Tuolumne County material in color and habit.

MD-270455 - Gold - - Archived
Majuba placer, Antelope District, Pershing Co., Nevada, USA
miniature, 3.8 x 1.8 x 1.8 cm.
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Gold from Majuba placer, Antelope District, Pershing Co., Nevada, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270455a.jpg]

3.8 x 1.8 x 1.8 cm. An impressive spinel-twinned gold crystal of very large size, for any locality. All the more impressive then, from the Majuba Placers where generally only small crystals are found. This is a piece that must rank among the best to come out of the deposits, and is considered by Nevada collectors I know to be one of the best golds from the state. It is sharp, bright, complexly crystallized, a floater, and complete-all-around. It has superb patina with no sign of rounding or weathering. This was in the collection of Scott Kleine, a well-known Nevada collector and author. It has been featured in the recent opus on Nevada minerals, Minerals of Nevada; and also in the Rocks & Minerals GOLD issue and on the Las Vegas mineral shows promotions. Photo by Jeffrey Scovil.


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