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Mineral Specimens with Quartz
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This specimen, which belonged to Peter Bancroft's competition collection, was once voted the "best small cabinet species" specimen in show-competition at the world famous Tucson Show (award label included!). This specimen can be viewed from several different angles, depending on the eye of the beholder. The bournonites from this mine came out between 1850-1870, so one can excuse very minor contact or damage, as it is a true mineralogic classic! They were never found again since in such magnitude. Even the recent finds in China are DIFFERENT and these Herodsfoot bournos remain the standard to which all other bournonite localities are put to the test. The matrix specimen has a druse of sparkling, off-white quartz as a natural pedestal upon which are emplaced large crystals of lustrous, “cogwheel-twinned” bournonite crystals. The largest crystal is over 5.0 cm, or 2 inches, across! That size ranks it up there with well-known pieces such as the famous specimen from the Joseph Freilich Collection, which ended up with Ed David after the auction and then recently went to me as well. That one was more pristine and hence more expensive, but at much more cost did not have quite so much visual and aesthetic impact, I will admit. This piece, which does have some minor edge wear on some edges, is nevertheless among the most impressive I have seen and despite its size has no repairs. The slight edge wear means it visually looks like a piece of several multiples in price, but is "relatively" affordable still. It has one absolutely killer display angle, and a few that are still pretty nice but do show the edge wear (not surprising given its 100-year-plus history changing hands). I have seen , in 20 years, only a half dozen major bournonites for sale. This would be one of them, and among the most affordable as well. Note that this was formerly in the collection of Dr. John Sinkankas 7.8 x 6.9 x 4.9 cm
Brassy, lustrous, well formed crystals of chalcopyrite, to 4.0 cm across, contrast nicely with colorless, transparent, sparkly, crystals of quartz which reach 2.5 cm in length. This is a beautiful combo specimen! More importantly, it has quite significant crystals of chalcopyrite for the locality. 9.5 x 9 x 3.2 cm
11.7 x 8.5 x 4.5 cm. A classic and important Mexican cabinet combination specimen from the Peter Bancroft Collection. Guanajuato amethyst and calcite specimens have always been very highly desirable. Four lustrous, pearlescent, dogtooth calcite crystals to 2.6 cm aesthetically rim a mounded, 3-dimensional plate covered with glassy, intensely purple, amethyst crystals. This specimen is pristine.
This showy, large specimen features several color-zoned, transparent, lustrous, amethyst crystals perched dramatically on matrix! The largest crystal is doubly terminated and a whopping 11.0 cm in length (over 4 inches!). A couple of the crystal tips have minute damage but the overall beauty and drama of the specimen is not diminished. This is the largest example of such a style , I have seen for the locality - normally the crystals are a LOT smaller! 16.5 X 15 X 8.1 cm
This exquisite matrix plate of many color-zoned, lustrous and gemmy amethyst crystals features some of the most intensely purple crystal tips that I have seen from the various finds! There is a lot of variety because they are found in small pockets scattered over pretty rough terrain, and over many years of digging there. The largest crystal measures 3.0 cm in length, a pretty good size. This specimen is indicative of the quality that used to come out of this deposit but alas, today, no longer does! This COLOR, and the sheer glowing contrast of the purple tips on white bases, and the size of the plate....the piece just has awesome presence! 16.9 x 13.5 x 4 cm
Resembling a porcupine’s quills, this outstanding cluster of colorless, partially transparent, lustrous, slender, crystals, of quartz, grew over shards of limestone. One of the tapering quartz spears is doubly terminated and measures 12.5 cm in length. This is a very showy and exciting specimen. 16.2 x 14 x 13.3 cm
This oldtime cluster from the Mount Ida area exhibits the best qualities of Arkansas quartz. The crystals are transparent, lustrous, well formed and free of damage or contact, except for peripheral crystals. What truly makes this specimen unique is the quite evident, thin, rusty, septae, that lie sandwiched between the largest crystal and the one behind it. The largest crystal measures a whopping 14 cm in length. This is another fine example of the collecting tastes of Peter Bancroft, even for a common mineral! 13.4 x 12.1 x 10 cm
This is by far the nicest Ouray quartz I have seen. Unlike most that one sees in dealers stocks which are milky, this matrix specimen features several colorless, partially transparent, lustrous, quartz crystals. nd the size is good! The crystals reach 6.0 cm in length. Additionally and more significantly is the beauty added by a weird growth of second generation quartz which is festooned around the bases of the larger crystals. This secondary growth features rosettes of gemmy quartz crystals reaching 1.9 cm in length. Probably it is from teh Idarado Mine, but I am not entirely sure of that. Despite the size of the specimen, other than an occasional ding at a termination here and there it is complete and very nearly pristine! 19.1 x 15 x 8 cm
An aesthetic cluster of gemmy, lustrous quartz has been enhanced by a thin veneer of iron staining, probably hematite. The largest crystal measures 7.5 cm in length. Minor tip damage to two of the smaller crystals in no way affects the overall quality of the specimen. It is a very unusual, showy complement to any collection of Swiss quartz and minerals that is heavy on white and black quartz - but lets face it, there's not much in between! 12.2 x 11 x 5 cm
This large quartz crystal with a citrine-like color, due to a thin veneer of ferruginous iron, is both lustrous and doubly terminated. In fact, this may actually be a floater, with no visible points of attachment. One neat result of the iron coating, is the rainbow effect on the surface of the specimen. Very minor nicks at the termination are inconsequential. A most unusual Swiss specimen! This is one of two items in the update I did not get directly. This specimen was in fact sold by Pete in the 1960s to collectors Herb and Alice Walters, who had a huge quartz collection. Bill Larson bought that collection about 5 years ago and I asked for this piece from him to add to this update. 15.5 x 10 x 6.8 cm
This very large crystal of transparent, lustrous, smoky quartz is heavily included by golden, elongated, rutile needles. There is also a small, flattened, white, crystal of an unknown species which has been impaled by the rutile needles. There is a HUGE conchoidal cleave taking off the backside, out of view. Hence the cheap price. Its true that there is chatter at the termination, but this is a significant specimen, and very beautiful nonetheless 9.9 x 9 x 8.3 cm
15.0 x 9.5 x 5.9 cm. A fine and unusual large cabinet specimen from older finds near Poona, India. This distinctly biological-looking specimen has pearlescent stilbite blades scattered on the rounded, drusy quartz growths rising up from the flat plate of drusy quartz. Note that the stilbite blades are restricted to the "growths" and are not on the plate, itself. Ex. Peter Bancroft Collection. This is material from the 1970s or early 1980s.
14.5 x 7.8 x 7.3 cm. A classic, impressive and aesthetic cabinet plate of glassy, transparent smoky quartz crystals from Switzerland. The dominating, large upright crystal is 6.5 cm and the largest crystal is 9.5 cm. Ex. Peter Bancroft Collection, circa 1950s-1960s.
For my particular taste, this is one of the nicest pieces out of Peter Bancroft collection from sheer interest value, price and history aside. In an ancient basalt flow there were gas vesicles that filled with quartz and other species; in this case, goethite. Once the basaltic rind eroded, this geode remained. A druse of colorless quartz is the host for several diverging and radiating, lustrous, black, metallic clusters of goethite, to 2.0 cm in length. The goethite, thankfully, is not contacted against the upper wall of the geode and the crystal sprays are freestanding! . As I said before, this is super! And it can be shipped, which is not the usual case. The tunnel full of geothite sprays goes all the way back in, and its much better in person, as you can guess! 10 x 7.2 x 7.2 cm
A very elegant example of an old Colorado classic: two gemmy, slender quartz crystals rising from two intergrown rhombs of hematite pseudomorphed by goethite. These are prized by Colorado collectors, but they are very rarely as aesthetic as this, so this is quite uncommon and desirable specimen! 5.8 x 4.4 x 3.3 cm
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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