|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
9.0 x 6.5 x 1.9 cm. This specimen was found about 5-6 months ago (2009). Bolivia has probably produced more tin than any other country in the world. The great tin mines at Viloco (sometimes called Araca) have produced some of the most magnificent Cassiterite specimens extant. This particular specimen is host of several fine, sharp, highly lustrous, black-brown cyclic twinned crystals measuring up to 1.2 x 1.1 cm which are associated with very eye-catching Quartz crystals that actually have small Smoky Quartz "phantoms" in the center of the prisms.
3.4 x 2.6 x 2.1 cm. This is a great display specimen from one of the most storied and well known districts in Colorado. This particular specimen features sharp, lustrous, well-formed, beautiful rich blue-green color Amazonite crystals associated with a sharp, lustrous, gemmy, compressed Smoky Quartz crystal aesthetically flaring off the top of the specimen. This specimen was collected 30 years ago (August 1976), when Richard Kosnar found some of the finest color Amazonite from Colorado extant. Ex. Richard Kosnar Collection.
10.8 x 10.0 x 6.0 cm. This is an extremely fine example of dramatic Mexican citrine that came out of a few small pockets around 2002-2003. In fact, for its size, it is one of the best I saw. This specimen has top color, a rich orange hue; and top sparkly lustre. The citrine forms a 4-6mm thick layer atop and completely blanketing 2 large quartz crystals and even a danburite perched in the middle. The entire specimen is pristine save for a ding on the rear-top termination back of the smaller crystal among the three major points here (the danburite in the middle), not visible from the display side. Little helectitic growths of pure citrine formed, linking the individual crystals elegantly. Ex. Keith and Diane Brownlee Collection.
11.1 x 5.9 x 4.5 cm. Gemmy, pastel green datolite crystals, to 2 cm across, are associated with truly unusual quartz crystals. The quartz crystals, to 6 cm in length, exhibit what might be milky overgrowths which give way to gemmy, "poker chip" development said to result from intergrowth with calcite that is now dissolved and gone. These are bizarre specimens. I have not seen one in a decade, and they seldom turn up now. The unusual form as well as the association make this specimen a special piece. Ex. Martin Zinn Collection.
4.4 x 4.3 x 2.0 cm. An excellent specimen of two, intergrown, angled, water-clear quartz crystals richly filled with brilliant, silvery rutile needles and red brookite blades from Diamantina, Brazil. This is very fine two-sided material, that looks like a Japan-law twin, but is not, as the crystals are intergrown. The combination of rutile and brookite included in quartz is very uncommon from Diamantina.
4.9 x 4.6 x 3.5 cm. Apatite is a seldom available mineral species from the Little Three Mine of San Diego County. A 3.5 cm wide, gray to lavender, tabular apatite crystal is attractively attached to the base or side of mounded knob of lustrous, translucent, smoky quartz crystals. Gemmy, pencil tourmalines are scattered about and one side has a rich coating of pink lepidolite microcrystals. Excellent locality material from the Chuck Houser Collection.
Amazonite crystals that alternate from blue to white, resulting from changes in the solution flowing through the pocket, with accenting smoky quartz and albite. A nicely balanced specimen. From the collection of noted Colorado collector George Fisher. 8 x 5 x 2.4 cm
6.5 x 4.9 x 4.9 cm. This recent find of apatite crystals from the Sapo Mine of Brazil caused a major stir at the major mineral shows. This is from an older find, nearby. This most excellent and very aesthetic specimen features a fat, highly lustrous, partially gemmy, 3.2 x 3.2 cm, olive-green apatite crystal front and center on the iron-stained, quartz matrix. A superbly placed and highly complimentary, pseudohexagonal muscovite book directly behind the apatite is striking. Highly representative of the species and find.
9.3 x 6.5 x 4.5 cm. An excellent and aesthetic specimen of deep cherry-red hubnerite from the finds of the mid-1970s at the Huayllapon Mine, which remain to this day the standard for the species in terms of lustre and form as well as that deep cherry-red color (visible usually with strong backlighting, but here at least you can see hints of it even in normal lighting). This pristine crystal (just under 2 cm) has metallic lustre, and it is beautifully accented by a jackstraw cluster of gemmy quartz crystals.
4.9 x 4.2 x 2.5 cm. A 1.8 cm, splendent, metallic, elongated bournonite crystal is aesthetically set in a quartz crystal-lined vug on this fine specimen from recent finds at the Yaogangxian Mine of China. The crystal has both stepped-growth and striated faces.
12.4 x 10.0 x 7.5 cm. A spectacular, two-sided amethyst specimen. Gorgeous, glassy, translucent to transparent, purple crystals of amethyst to 5.5 cm in size stand upright on the striking matrix of an earlier generation of quartz crystals. The crystals really sparkle and are called "cactus quartz" for their form. The terminations are isolated, while the bodies have a prickly, "cactus" look with an overgrowth of smaller crystals. The yellow iron oxide inclusions are a nice accent. This is the true source for the amethystine quartz crystals (aka "cactus quartz" and "spirit quartz") erroneously marketed as being from the Magaliesberg Range. A super example with great color. The amethyst crystals are all pristine.
8.5 x 7.2 x 4.2 cm. A rich and sculptural specimen composed solidly of radiating clusters of brown to black goethite blades from Colorado. Many of the brown blades on one side are very gemmy and are nicely complimented with sparkly, specular hematite. There are even a couple of tiny, glassy smoky quartz crystals scattered about. Ex. Adam Sotomayor, who collected it.
9.8 x 9.8 x 6.8 cm. A classic, old-time, Cornwall combination specimen with an impressive provenance, having been in the Sir Arthur Russell Collection. Lustrous, sharp, golden-brassy chalcopyrite crystals are richly strewn amongst the diverging quartz points on this fine specimen. The large chalcopyrite on the edge is 2.6 cm and the quartz points reach 3.6 cm. Ex. Baroness Burdett-Coutts (of France) to Sir Arthur Russell to the Field Museum of Chicago, and then on to the Dan Ehrling Collection of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Accompanied by the original handwritten Russell label.
6.4 x 3.8 x 3.1 cm. Bright ball-like clusters of sparkly, pastel-pink rhodochrosite microcrystals are stunningly perched atop glassy quartz crystal matrix on this fine combination piece from the Remedios Mine at Taxco, Mexico. Classic combination material from the ancient silver mines at Taxco. Ex. Wesley Stark Collection.
14.0 x 7.3 x 6.0 cm. A delightful and eye-catching, 3-sided, wedge-shaped, cabinet specimen from the Star of the Congo Mine. This quartz on chrysocolla is nothing short of terrific. The combination of multiple shades of gemmy chrysocolla, from sky blue to blue-green, coated with sparkly drusy quartz, creates a wonderful aesthetic appeal. All sides of the matrix have lustrous, "wet-look", navy-blue to black, heterogenite botryoids beautifully complimenting the chrysocolla. Ex. Wesley Stark Collection. All Content and Design ©1996-2012 The ArkenstonePowered by http://mineralwebsites.comMineral Specimens by species; or by specimen id. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
share specimen![Cassiterite, Quartz from Viloco Mine (Araca mine), Loayza Province, La Paz Department, Bolivia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246308a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246308a.jpg)
![Cassiterite, Quartz from Viloco Mine (Araca mine), Loayza Province, La Paz Department, Bolivia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246308b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246308b.jpg)
![Microcline (Var: Amazonite), Quartz (Var: Smoky Quartz) from R. A. Kosnar claim, Yucca Hill, Steven's Ranch, Lake George, Park Co., Colorado, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246313a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246313a.jpg)
![Quartz (Var: Citrine), Quartz, Danburite from Charcas, Mun. de Charcas, San Luis PotosÃ, Mexico [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246323a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246323a.jpg)
![Datolite, Quartz from Bor Pit (Boron Pit; Bor Quarry), Dal'negorsk B deposit, Dal'negorsk (Dalnegorsk; Tetyukhe; Tjetjuche; Tetjuche), Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246324a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246324a.jpg)
![Datolite, Quartz from Bor Pit (Boron Pit; Bor Quarry), Dal'negorsk B deposit, Dal'negorsk (Dalnegorsk; Tetyukhe; Tjetjuche; Tetjuche), Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246324b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246324b.jpg)
![Rutile, Brookite, Quartz from Diamantina, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246443a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246443a.jpg)
![Apatite-(CaF), Quartz (Var: Smoky Quartz), Elbaite, Lepidolite from Little Three Mine (Little 3), Ramona District, San Diego Co., California, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-246456a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-246456a.jpg)
![Microcline (Var: Amazonite), Quartz, Albite from Pikes Peak, El Paso Co., Colorado, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-24757a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-24757a.jpg)
![Apatite-(CaF), Muscovite, Quartz from Governador Valadares, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247647a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247647a.jpg)
![Hübnerite, Quartz from Huayllapon Mine, Pasto Bueno District, Pallasca Province, Ancash Department, Peru [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247651a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247651a.jpg)
![Hübnerite, Quartz from Huayllapon Mine, Pasto Bueno District, Pallasca Province, Ancash Department, Peru [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247651b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247651b.jpg)
![Bournonite, Quartz from Yaogangxian Mine, Yizhang Co., Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, China [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247654a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247654a.jpg)
![Quartz (Var: Amethyst), Quartz from Boekenhoutshoek area (Boekenhouthoek), Mkobola district, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247662a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247662a.jpg)
![Goethite, Quartz (Var: Smoky Quartz) from Dreamtime Claim, Crystal Peak area, Teller Co., Colorado, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247673a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247673a.jpg)
![Goethite, Quartz (Var: Smoky Quartz) from Dreamtime Claim, Crystal Peak area, Teller Co., Colorado, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247673b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247673b.jpg)
![Goethite, Quartz (Var: Smoky Quartz) from Dreamtime Claim, Crystal Peak area, Teller Co., Colorado, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247673c.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247673c.jpg)
![Chalcopyrite, Quartz from St Agnes District, Cornwall, England, UK [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247693a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247693a.jpg)
![Rhodochrosite, Quartz from Remedios Mine, Taxco de Alarcón (Taxco; Tasco), Mun. de Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247703a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247703a.jpg)
![Quartz, Chrysocolla, Heterogenite from L'Etoile du Congo Mine (Star of the Congo Mine; Kalukuluku Mine), Lubumbashi (Elizabethville), Southern area, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247724a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247724a.jpg)
![Quartz, Chrysocolla, Heterogenite from L'Etoile du Congo Mine (Star of the Congo Mine; Kalukuluku Mine), Lubumbashi (Elizabethville), Southern area, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247724b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247724b.jpg)
![Quartz, Chrysocolla, Heterogenite from L'Etoile du Congo Mine (Star of the Congo Mine; Kalukuluku Mine), Lubumbashi (Elizabethville), Southern area, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo [db_pics/mdpics/MD-247724c.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-247724c.jpg)