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Mineral Specimens with Poldervaartite
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page 1 / 5 - 61 specimens selected - next
ex. Dr. Edward David
A very beautiful miniature with good red color, and an exceptionally large "ball" aggregate of crystals at the base, upon which is perched a smaller , translucent and party gemmy crystal. This is an excellent example from the finds of about 5 years ago which revolutionized what we coul dexpect for the species, once much more rare. The find is now gond, and exceptional pieces like this are VERY uncommon on the market today. This one,f or the sheer size, is just "juicier" than most!
ex. Charlie Key
A true killer featuring a 4 x 3 x 3 cm cluster of GEMMY, GLASSY poldervaartite sitting starkly on contrasting matrix! ALMOST NEVER do you get such upright, 3-dimensional clusters! In fact, outside of a very few specimens now in Harvard or the Sacco collection, Charlie thought this to be the best of its style in this regard. It is important to see how much relief the piece has, to make the polder leap out at you visually, when compared to other specimens where the crystals are embedded or laying flat. Charlie felt very strongly that, amidst all that came out, he did get the chance to choose for himself several of the very best, shown here now for the first time since they were mined. Comes with custom lucite display base.
A sparkling stack of poldervaartite from the finds of 4 years ago, unusual in its vertical aspect. ppristine on front and complete on the front, contacted only in back.
A very well-balanced specimen featuring two gemmy, pristine balls of Poldervaartite perched on crystallized matrix. The Poldervaartite measures 3 cm long and 2 cm across, and is pristine and complete, of highest quality.
SIZE, folks! A huge 4 x 3.5 x 3.5 cm aggregate of crystallized Poldervaartite just dominates this matrix specimen, and stands at one end freestanding and complete all around, like a hot air balloon about to launch! It is a very impressive piece, overall
This remarkable specimen displays in an unusually 3-dimensional manner two large ball-like aggregates of crystallized Poldervaartite: one the cherry-red, gemmy, bright variety (2.1 cm across); the other a more common style of opaque beige hue but in remarkable size of 4.5 x 4 x 2 cm. The dramatic nature of the specimen rests in the juxtaposition of the two forms of Poldervaartite , which gives it more impact than most specimens of either style alone in isolation.
A really unusual specimen with both the red crystal and the beige spherical aggregate styles both on the same specimen in close contact, all accented by a few sparkly calcite crystals. Really wild combination! The lump you see in the center of the polder ball is a calcite crystal , and then next to it a slight gap int eh crystal coverage of the sphere. In person, that little dimple isn't as obvious because you tilt the specimen back for display instead of straight up as shown. Overall, though, this is a VERY cute combination piece and the juxtaposition of crystal forms of the same mineral on one piece is interesting.
ex. Charlie Key
This mineral was discovered in the 1980s but only recognized and named by 1993. Specimens were always extremely rare and hard to obtain. This one, Charlie was quite proud of and regarded as an important piece, worth perhaps 5k back in the day before a few years ago when Poldervaartite fortune was struck at the nearby NChwaning Mine. Literally, these were like beige gold to the collectors of Kalahari rarities! Now, OK, its a common enough species because of the new finds - BUT they are of totally different habit and these old ones are still both recognizable and desirable. This is a rare locality specimen, and probably (according to Charlie) a co-type with the material used to describe the species.
A gorgeous, sparkling, lustrous, translucent polder specimen with TOP QUALITY and lustre. This is a superb miniature with flash and pizzazz; and the aesthetics are nice because of the contrast between the two crystal habits juxtaposed on the same specimen, with the single gem crystal form accenting each of the spherical aggregates. This piece is pristine, and is one of the best miniatures I have seen (and I saw a lot of them at the time they came out around 2000). Charlie was first on the scene and got many of the best, including this one.
A rich vertical plate just covered with gemmy, sparkling poldervaartite crystals to over 1 cm! This piece gives you a lot of visual area for the money, and large specimens in this quality were never common even when found. Note the presence of both crystal forms, elongate crystals and spherical aggregates.
It is hard to imagine any more dramatic example of this style, a lone single crystal , sitting there so starkly perched against the contrasting, black manganese ore. This poldervaartite crystal is 2 cm across and is pristine!
A large plate with waxy-lustrous, beige polder crystals richly covering an undeerlaying matrix of bright and sparkly calcite! It is hard to get such nice large plates in good condition! This was found 5-6 years ago and I can say that large plates of the calcite intermix are particularly hard to come by, as they were snapped up for the beauty of the contrast. The poldervaartite in this style and association is not red like the styles shown above, but the calcite association makes up for it and gives quite a different look to the specimens in terms of visual appeal.
5.2 x 4 x 2.9 cm. Excellent cluster of four large balls (largest 2.6 cm) and with a drusy surface that has terrific sparkle. There is also one attached set of gemmy 1.6 cm crystals. The color is the classic light tannish salmon.
5.6 x 4.0 x 2.3 cm. Here is a very beautiful polder from the 2002-3 finds that set a new standard for the species, at this mine. This piece has intermediate color, not brown but not red either, and of course the color changes depending on whether you use sunlight or interior lighting. This photo is in interior sun-equal halogen bulbs. The piece has GREAT lustre and sparkles like crazy everywhere!
25.0 x 15.0 x 5.0 cm. A STUNNING and DRAMATIC LARGE CABINET plate festooned with lustrous, salmon-pink poldervaartite crystals on sparkly quartz from the famous Nchwaning II Mine. This was a freak find that redefined what you could get for the species, around 5 years ago. No more has come out since.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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share specimen![Poldervaartite from N’Chwaning Mine, near Kuruman, Cape Province, South Africa [db_pics/pics/06edd109ca.jpg]](db_pics/pics/06edd109ca.jpg)
![POLDERVAARTITE from N'Chwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa [db_pics/pics/cktsr-31a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/cktsr-31a.jpg)
![POLDERVAARTITE from N'Chwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa [db_pics/pics/cktsr-31b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/cktsr-31b.jpg)
![POLDERVAARTITE from N'Chwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa [db_pics/pics/cktsr-31c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/cktsr-31c.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k210a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k210a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k210b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k210b.jpg)
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![Poldervaartite on Chalcedony-coated Calcite from NChwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k232b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k232b.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k249a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k249a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k249b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k249b.jpg)
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![Poldervaartite (2 styles) from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k254b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k254b.jpg)
![Poldervaartite (2 styles) from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k254c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k254c.jpg)
![Poldervaartite with Calcite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k257a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k257a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite with Calcite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k257b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k257b.jpg)
![Poldervaartite with Calcite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k257c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k257c.jpg)
![Poldervaartite (from original find) from Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k265a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k265a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite (from original find) from Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k265b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k265b.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k271a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k271a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k277a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k277a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k278a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k278a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k278b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k278b.jpg)
![Poldervaartite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k278c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k278c.jpg)
![Poldervaartite on Calcite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k282a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k282a.jpg)
![Poldervaartite on Calcite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k282b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k282b.jpg)
![Poldervaartite on Calcite from NChwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa [db_pics/pics/k282c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/k282c.jpg)
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