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Mineral Specimens with Gold
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1.9 x 1.5 x 0.4 cm. An aesthetic crystallized leaf gold thumbnail from the Eagle’s Nest Mine, that is more than merely pretty - it hosts a huge and significant, complex crystal; and of incredible quality for the locale, as well. The gold patina is very bright on this piece, which consists of strikingly intergrown flattened octahedrons and spinel-twins.
This is simply a superb gold, for any size, reflecting exquisite crystallization of a number of different crystal habits. I think the pics speak for themselves and for the quality of JP's eye in selecting the choicest specimens for his collection and dealer stock, here. Irv purchased it from the personal collection of now-deceased dealer JP Cand, a friend of both of us who tragically died doing what he loved best, collecting minerals. 4.2 x 1.5 x 0.4 cm
A specimen literally covered with sparkling electrum crystals (electrum being a gold with a high percentage of silver included as an amalgam). This piece is from the George Kunz collection via Harvard Univeristy's mineralogical museum. 5 x 3.5 x 1.2 cm
2.1 x 1.6 x 1.3 cm. A stunning, superbly crystallized thumbnail specimen of hessite crystals. Hessite is a very rare silver telluride that occurs at its best, in fine large crystals as you see here, only from this old classic locality. It is likely this was found prior to the 1900s. Specimens are extremely hard to obtain today. When they are available, it is only out of old collections. What is more, there are small flecks of gold attached at a few places, a rare association.
This flattened nugget, which still has a little quartz adhering to the back side, was originally purchased at Barkerville, British Columbia in the middle 1960’s by the previous owner. It has a roughly cruciform (cross like) appearance. The nugget is actually from Emery Gulch, British Columbia, two miles from Barkerville, and would be considered quite a large Canadian nugger for the locality. It weighs 35 grams or just over an ounce so the price of 2x spot for a rare locality nugget is pretty good, i think. 4 x 3.1 x 0.8 cm
This thick mass of gold is still attached to its host quartz matrix which in most cases gets eroded away to leave the free nugget so common from the Aussie gold regions. Matrix specimens, with GOOD display quality to the gold, are VERY rare! Its total weight is 2.22 ounces / 69 grams. I have not done a SG test but a respectable part of the weight is surely gold 5.2 x 3.6 x 1.6 cm
2.7 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm. Looking more like a piece of modern sculpture, this specimen features an elongated, feather-like spinel twinned gold - a single crystal measuring over an inch. Branching off the main crystal are a few smaller crystals that appear to be octahedrons. The piece is exquisite.
I believe that this specimen represents a very rare phase and form in gold, octahedral hopper crystal growth: you can see clearly the octahedral outline of a mammoth gold crystal here, but since it is unlikely to have formed as a cast OVER another large ocohedral mineral the octo is surely the form of the gold itself, albeit hoppered and incompletely formed on all sides. In person, the shape is quite evident and I believe this to be a significant piece for this reason. Its size and weight of 3.5 ounces/ 108 grams, along with its apparent octohedral form , make this piece extremely desirable. 5.6 x 3.6 x 3.2 cm
For a gold nugget, this free-form , naturally water tumbled, and flattened specimen is extremely aesthetic. It look slike liquid gold, frozen in mid-spill! Its sculptural quality would make any art museum curator proud; and even as a serious collector of mineral specimens with euhedral crystals, this piece has captured me! Its weight is 2.16 ounces / 67 grams. One additional comment I’d like to make is that this piece closely resembles a piece in John Barlow’s collection 6.2 x 1.6 x 0.4 cm
From the California gold mine that has produced the most valuable crystallized golds, this specimen, shaped like a cornucopia, contains numerous sharp octahedrons up to 2.5mm across. It is a really hefty piece, and has great appeal for the sheer mass of the gold, BUT it also has good crystallization at a relatively "nuggety" price despite that fact. It weighs 2 ounces/ 61 grams. 5.5 x 3.2 x 2.5 cm
3.1 x 2.6 x 0.8 cm. This is a bright, shiny nugget with some remnant crysatllization or quartz contact patterning, as it has an interestingly rough surface with minute detailing. Weighs 20 grams.
This sharp specimen has EXQUISITE crystallization of several habits, and features about the brightest and most reflective patina you can ask for in a US gold specimen. It is truly a standout among all the Eagle's Nest golds I see, with that extra special sculptural quality that makes it a special treasure instead of just another EN gold. 3.9 x 2.2 x 0.4 cm
This exquisite crystal is a HUGE gold crystal, to be so sharp. Most of this size are severely deformed, even from this prolific locality. This one is slender to be sure, but elegant and sharp as hell. A killer specimen for people who like crystals for their quality as opposed to weight. It displays magnificently, with a nice golden-toned patina. 3.2 x 1.1 x 0.6 cm
A very fat "snakelike" nugget that is in this regard unusual, since nuggets tend to be either more 3-D or pancakelike when flat. These stretched guys are rare, and you get a lot of visual apparent sdize for the price, too, when this occurs....so as a collector its a much better deal for hefty nuggers than are some others. 76 grams or 2.5 troy ounces, so quite hefty. 7.5 x 1.6 x 0.9 cm
An EXCEPTIONALLY RARE nugget of some size, from placers in Bolivia. This piece, complete and beautiful all around, is actually crudely crystallized in some parts as you can see. It has an unusual dark brassy patina, rather than the lightest gold color, and thus stands out quite readily from Aussie and US nuggets. A rare treasure I purchased from somebody who was using it as a jewelry pendant (a heavy one at 84 grams or almost 3 ounces!!). 4 x 3 x 0.7 cm
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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