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CFLU04 - Pink Fluorite on Adularia - $ 7500 SOLD Face Nord des Droites, Argentierre Glacier, Chamonix, Haute Savoie, France miniature, 4.3 x 3.5 x 3.3 cm
A sutnning red-pink crystal of about 1 inch, perched on a plate of adularia crystals. Sharp, complete, and vibrant! This is one of the most balanced miniatures of this style we have seen and has a richer "glow" to it than most such fluorites. It is a pure pink without the hint of maroon deeper red color as so many modern pieces have. ex Helen Holmes collection
D06-40 - Orthoclase pseudo. after Leucite - $ 400 SOLD Oberwiesenthal, Germany small cabinet, 6.4 x 5.7 x 5.5 cm
A wonderfully stereotypical, complete-all-around, 360-degree, pseudomorphic trapezohedral crystal comprising what must once have been a beautiful garnet-shaped Leucite crystal now replaced by orthoclase of the consistency and visual stunningness of sidewalk cement. Well, admittedly that is not a beautiful advertisement of color, but it IS a beautiful piece for symmetry and a really nifty locality specimen.
D26 - Adularia w/Chlorite - $ 75 SOLD Schori, Wallis, Switzerland thumbnail, 3 x 2.5 x 2.2 cm ex. Marilyn Dodge
Very sharp interpenetrating twinned crystals that are gemmy and have an attractive coating of Chlorite on most of the surfaces. Even so, the luster on this superb thumb is excellent.
DTN19 - Titanite with Adularia - $ 950 SOLD Tormiq, Skardu, Gilgit, Pakistan thumbnail, 2.1 x 2 x 1.5 cm ex. Irv Brown
This is an absolutely exquisite mineral specimen of ANY species and such a balanced thumbnail it is amazing! Aesthetically perched on contrasting matrix, is a cluster of gemmy, yellow-green, lustrous, titanite crystals, including a twinned, doubly terminated 2.0 cm , glassy, titanite crystal. To top it off, there is even an .8 cm white, feldspar crystal, giving this specimen balance. This is so well composed, I thought it was glued together...its not. A unique gem crystal thumbnail good enough for any collection, and one of my favorites here.
ES15 - Adularia (twinned) - $ 195 Zinnenthal, Switzerland small cabinet, 5.4 x 3.9 x 3.2 cm ex. Ernie Schlichter
This orthoclase var. adularia crystal is large and fine for the species. The almost white color, high luster, and translucence really stand out making this piece a winner. It is twinned down the middle (more visible in person), and also has better lustre in person.
gem7-39 - Tourmaline var. Rubellite on Orthoclase with Quartz - $ 3500 SOLD Monte Capanne, Elba Island, Italy (type locality) small cabinet, 7.1 x 4.5 x 3.2 cm ex. Charles Spang ex. Clarence Bement ex. Irv Brown ex. John Sinkankas ex. Norman Spang ex. Smithsonian Institution
This is an important piece because it has closely-spaced rubellites, of gem quality, ON MATRIX, from the type locality for rubellite tourmaline! And, the history goes way back here. It was formerly n the collection of father and/or son Charles and Norman Spang, and retains their number on the bottom. The mineral spangolite was named in Norman Spang's honor. Many of the Spang specimens were purchased by the American Museum of Natural History (for $8,000), and others that were purchased by Bement were ultimately purchased from him by J. Pierpont Morgan and donated to the American Museum in 1900. The piece also retains on the bottom the Bement arrow showing how to display it in the AMNH showcases, drawn on the (sawed) bottom by then-curator Gratacap in black ink. Lastly, Sinkankas traded this piece out in 1960 from the AMNH and it now has HIS label on the bottom as well, all corresponding to the original information. Irv Brown traded this from John in the mid 1990s. To get a good history back to the mid-1800s on one of these is hard to do. A showy matrix specimen is also hard to get. One with gemmy crystals, still harder. Given all of this, I am willing to put up with the fact tha tit does have 3 repairs, one to each crystal at the matrix just above their attachment points (so they don't show until a close look). But, it displays wonderfully, much better than most old Elba pieces! Click on the link above to see more information about these collections, courtesy of the Minerlogical Record Archives . I think i PAID $4000 for this and then decided it was too much, in retrospectf, if memory serves. ugh.
GEMS-128 - Orthoclase - $ 350 SOLD Madagascar thumbnail, 20.0 x 11.8 mm ; 12.74 carats
Last but not least is one of the most classic gem grade Feldspars in the world. These Orthoclase gems and crystals have been around for some time. The locality in Madagascar for this material is actually an old Dana locality. The stone is a very pleasing yellow color with a Cushion cut. This stone is from a very old stash of gem rough, and is only very very slightly included. Gem quality Feldspars are not common, especially in stones over 12 carats like this!
J11-74 - Quartz (gwindel) with Adularia - $ 60000 SOLD Graubunden, Switzerland large cabinet, 23 x 16 x 15 cm ex. Marc Weill
This is a huge gwindel (twisted) quartz crystal that is perched on matrix with the aesthetics you would expect in a miniature, not in a piece the size and weight of a bowling ball! This locality produced such pieces in the 1980s, and few of such size and perfection, we think. It has been in the Daniel Trinchilllo Sr. collection (with specialties in both Quartz and Alpine suites); and then went into the well-known Marc Weill collection built up in the early 2000's. The crystal alone is nearly 7.5 inches long. It is over 2 inches thick and SO GEMMY AND LIMPID, its like looking into frozen water with sparkles trapped inside...and the clarity is really , really unusually good, especially in the size range. For a lage and colorless, totally clear gwindel, this would have to rank among the top few pieces of the style recovered from what I know of and can ascertain from asking the dealers and collectors of such pieces. The quartz sits, twisted, on a matrix of alpine granite with adularia feldspar crystals - and few come out with any matrix at all, let alone a nice pedestal of good balance in size. This is hands down one of the more important quartzes i have had, period. This piece weighs 11 pounds and comes with a custom display base. Joe Budd photos
J12-508 - Fluorite on Orthoclase - $ 2100 SOLD Bergsig Farm 167, Omaruru District, Erongo Region, Namibia small cabinet, 6.4 x 3.7 x 3.4 cm
A choice green fluorite of high color saturation, is perched dramatically on the side of a terminated crystal of orthoclase, on this very sharp combination piece. The color is really as juicy as shown - rare for the deposit. The fluorite, to 1 inch on edge, has small octohedral modifications on its corners, classic for this locale. It has small purple phantoms at some tips, as well. The perch up on the feldspar, though, makes this stand out from all others I have seen of the style. It is super elegant, and complete all around. Joe Budd photos.
K334 - Aegerine on Orthoclase - $ 750 SOLD Mt Maloso, Malawi small cabinet, 6.0 x 5.4 x 4.7 cm ex. Charlie Key
A strikingly aesthetic 3-dimensional combination of jet-black aegerines (to 3 cm) splaying out from matrix of feldspar! The lustre, form, and sharpness of these crystals is WAY above par and most people consider this locale to be the world's finest source for the species...while this piece would be, in quality, right at the top of what has been found to date.
LC-443 - Orthoclase (carlsbad-twinned) - $ 145 SOLD Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Bohemia, Czech Republic miniature, 3.5 x 3.5 x 2 cm
A sharp floater crystal exhibiting the classic twin form, FROM the namesake locality for the habit!
LC-5 - ARFVEDSONITE with AEGERINE on ORTHOCLASE - $ 800 SOLD Mt. Maloso, Malawi small cabinet, 6.5 x 5 x 4 cm
A wonderful matrix example of the superb ARFVEDSONITE crystals which have been found at this locality in recent years. However, most are loose crystals and also etched to some extent. This aesthetic, balanced specimen has several well-terminated crystals to 4 cm, perched on contrasting crystallized matrix and presenting as fine a termination as I have ever seen for the species. Minor black aegerines are also in attendance. Not the most glamorous of species, I admit, but this is nevertheless a significant find for it and this is one of the better specimens I know of from seeing 5 or 6 years' worth of production. It is well known that the best of this material went to Europe and that a dealer named Helmut Brueckner obtained a stash of very choice pieces about 3 years ago. This is one from that lot, which he provided as Leithauser's main supplier of specimens.
LW18 - Kaolinite ps. Orthoclase twin - $ 300 SOLD St Austell, Cornwall, England miniature, 4.5 x 2.6 x 1.1 cm ex. Martin Lewadny
Very good and relatively large pseudomorph of Kaolinite after an Orthoclase Karlsbad twin. The off-white color is attractive, but what really makes this is the well-preserved habit of the twinned crystal. Overall, a very fine specimen from one of England’s most famous localities.
MD-114177 - Aegirine, Orthoclase - - Archived Mt Malosa, Zomba District, Malawi small cabinet, 6.0 x 5.4 x 4.7 cm
A strikingly aesthetic 3-dimensional combination of jet-black aegerines (to 3 cm) splaying out from matrix of feldspar! The lustre, form, and sharpness of these crystals is WAY above par and most people consider this locale to be the world's finest source for the species...while this piece would be, in quality, right at the top of what has been found to date. 6.0 x 5.4 x 4.7 cm
MD-118773 - Beryl (Var: Aquamarine), Orthoclase, Quartz - - Archived Shigar Valley, Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan cabinet, 12.4 x 10.3 x 6.8 cm.
12.4 x 10.3 x 6.8 cm. This is a large and beautiful combo piece featuring a water-transparent, very light blue aquamarine crystal (2.5 cm) jutting out of a matrix studded with quartz crystals, muscovite books and a large, sharp, textbook orthoclase crystal (right near the aqua). There is another fine orthoclase crystal near the larger one.
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