|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
A most unusual specimen of QUARTZ WITHIN quartz, with a large crystal totally embedded within the larger. Now, you see overgrowth a lot, and SOME instances of partial inclusion, but few instances as dramatic as this one. The piece is complete all around and undamaged save for two very trivial dings on the whole, towards the right edge and rear. Otherwis,e undamaged. It displays phenomenally and is so gemmy and clear that the internal crystal leaps out at you as if from a mirror. I have been around this material for 22 years and NEVER EVER seen another quite like this one. This specimen came from a major private collection assembled over decades, in Arkansas, that was dispersed around the year 2000.
A large and dramatic cluster of quartz with multiple crenellations on its accessory crystals. The terminations of each are highlighted by bright blue ajoite! Complete all around, this is a rare and large example of this classic association. The mine has NOT been producing such large specimens in a long time.
ex. Keith and Diane Brownlee
This is an extremely showy 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 (and I viewed most of the lot with the sources). I recall that this was bought immediately at Tucson by the Brownlees who saw the lot a few minutes before me, in whose collection it has resided until a recent exchange. All the rest promptly sold at the same show, from what I recall. No other piece like it, I think, is available on the market otherwise. 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 in any case. Little helectitic growths of pure citrine formed, linking the individual crystals elegantly.
These specimens were one of the few "new sensations" at the Tucson Show of 2005, especially as new finds were so scarce that year in general. We EXPECTED to see more at Denver 2005 but there were none to be had...they have NOT FOUND ANOTHER LARGE POCKET SINCE! This is a very large crystal for the find , and exceptionally rich with purple-blue, sharp fluorite crystals included inside. It is almost doubly-terminated, with a slight bit missing a tthe bottom and the smallest of dings atop (you have to really look to see it...no visual impact). This piece has the most inclusions per unit area of any I have had, I would say, and thus the best overall impact and color appeal. The fluorites grew on the face of the quartz crystals at some point during their development in the pocket, and were later engulfed as the quartz continued its growth. These are certainly the most interesting fluorite inclusions we have seen from any recent find, and this particular piece is a stellar example.
ex. Dr. Edward David
From the famous collection of Dr. Ed David, this has always been one of my favorite of his quartzes because of the incredibly dramatic twist to the piece. Gwindels are by definition twisted, but as George Orwell would say...not all gwindels are equal. This piece ALSO has great lustre, good tapering form from base to tip, and the rich smoky color that you should desire most in a classic Swiss gwindel. It has a few minor dings around the very bottom crystals but otherwise is pristine as it coils upwards. For overall impact, this is a stellar examplar of this classic habit and locality for the size and price range. I frankly would have bought it even at this price to sell for more, if I had to. Its just that good.
I am not normally big on basaltic amethyst geodes, but every now and then one of them turns up that blows me away with its exquisite crystallization inside the former lava bubbles. This UNDAMAGED, PRISTINE stalactite leaps up from matrix, and is just plain dramatic. It is 7.5 inches tall! The stalactite is complete 360 degrees. Comes in a custom Brazilian wood base, for easy display. (and with a former dealer label at $3500...so it may be an old find, I suppose)
The fattest crystal I obtained from a shocking new pocket of absolutely incredible, facet-quality quartzes out of Colombia! There were about a hundred crystals at the show with one dealer recently back from this place, but most had tip dings that I could not live with. This is an exceptional piece for the find, totally pristine, and with optical clarity. IN PERSON IT HAS HIGHER LUSTRE than the camera can catch. The horizontal lines you see, in person, add both lustre and pizzazz to the outer surface. Other than a few crystals from the famous McEarl pocket in Arkansas, I have simply not seen this outrageous clarity and brightness in quartz points before...Out of literally thousands of quartz crystals I have handled.
Another of the fattest crystals I obtained from a shocking new pocket of absolutely incredible, facet-quality quartzes out of Colombia! There were about a hundred crystals at the show with one dealer recently back from this place, but most had tip dings that I could not live with. This is an exceptional piece for the find, totally pristine, and with optical clarity. It has just one SMALL ding on a back edge, and a VERY slight almost infinitesimal rubbing at the top termination...you do not see it at first, anyhow. IN PERSON IT HAS HIGHER LUSTRE than the camera can catch. The horizontal lines you see, in person, add both lustre and pizzazz to the outer surface. Other than a few crystals from the famous McEarl pocket in Arkansas, I have simply not seen this outrageous clarity and brightness in quartz points before...Out of literally thousands of quartz crystals I have handled.
A sparkling jewel of a specimen, this will add flash to any Tsumeb case because it is just...different! The crystals of wulfenite have completely altered to translucent quartz, and measure to almost 1 cm in size. The piece overall is quite beautiful, and almost pristine. Matrix seems to be a druse of cuprite an dother sulphides, atop an ore core. ALMOST unique...i have seen just a few others, not so good as this, from some of the many Tsumeb collections I have handled.
A slender gem stylus, is what this looks like! As good as the above, just elegantly slender and thin. This is a sharp piece, pristine except for the tiniest of wear on a few edges at the bottom portion.
For sheer brilliance an dbrightness, this specimen hosts the best quartz i have yet seen for the locality. These GEMMY, clear quartz crysatls are of imposing quality, and rise from contrasting matrix of bladed hematite rosettes. All major crystals are pristine and free of damage, the only imperfect quartzes being those small ones lining the front and lower periphery. This specimen is of a common enough combo and style, I know; but it is really uncommonly showy and attractive . I have seen many of these specimens over the years, and none like this. The quality of the quartz is jus tin a league of its own compared to other LeChang combo pieces.
Another of the best crystals I obtained from a shocking new pocket of absolutely incredible, facet-quality quartzes out of Colombia! There were about a hundred crystals at the show with one dealer recently back from this place, but most had tip dings that I could not live with. This is an exceptional piece for the find, totally pristine, and with optical clarity. It has just one VERY slight, almost infinitesimal rub at the top termination...you do not see it at first, you can barely feel it even. IN PERSON IT HAS HIGHER LUSTRE than the camera can catch. The horizontal lines you see, in person, add both lustre and pizzazz to the outer surface. Other than a few crystals from the famous McEarl pocket in Arkansas, I have simply not seen this outrageous clarity and brightness in quartz points before...Out of literally thousands of quartz crystals I have handled.
This was a new one on me....I had no idea that a normal prismatic quartz could be twisted, without having the multiple-growth pattern of a typical twisted, or gwindel , quartz. It would be a really good Swiss quartz anyways but moreover, this HUGE smoky quartz measures 15 inches in length and is CLEARLY twisting subtly , as you can see in the pics. AND it is doubly-terminated. AND it is GEMMY throughout. It has only a few small dings of no real consequence. AND , to cap all this off, it has a large NORMAL GWINDEL attached to it, in the lower-right, by way of a totally crazy accent. The gwindel is undamaged save for a small conchoidal fracture on one back edge, that isnt visually apparent at first. Can you imagine collecting this monster in an alpine cleft, keeping it so nearly pristine, and hauling it down intact?! The piece is much better in person - hard to photo, as you can imagine.
ex. Francis and Patricia Benjamin
A most remarkable, castle-like crystal of huge size, from this famous pocket! This was said to be the best of them when they came out, and Francis bought it at the St Marie show about 20 years ago. It is absolutely pristine except for the lower point's rear which is slightly contacted. It has great lustre and reflectivity whereas most of these are either dull or damaged. It is complete all around. It is simply VERY dramatic. I am not normally one to go crazy for Brazilian quartz but THIS pocket and this style are different, and I love them. This is the best large one that is CLEAR , that I have seen. Most of this habit are smoky and again, simply not as perfect or aesthetic. Comes with custom lucite base for easy display.
Large specimens from these new Georgia finds are uncommon, and large plates with amethyst on MATRIX even more so. Here, we have a veritable RING of amethyst crystals, all bright and lustrous and glassy as you could wish for, perched smack dab in the center of a contrasting crystallized quartz matrix! The plate split cleanly in half during miing and so has a repair through the middle, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to see, from the display face, and only shows on the back side. I think the magnitude of the piece, its size and condition overall, and the fact tha tthe repair is so clean, all combine to make this a relative bargain because it would cost something like 25k otherwise and look no better. The crystals measure to 2 inches across and again, are so sharp and glassy that the quality just redefines what you can expect in a US amethyst specimen - Georgia is the new king of US amethysts as far as i am concerned. I obtained this personally from the miners, at Tucson. All Content and Design ©1996-2012 The ArkenstonePowered by http://mineralwebsites.comMineral Specimens by species; or by specimen id. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
share specimen![Quartz in Quartz from Coleman Mine, Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas, USA [db_pics/pics/tcq04a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq04a.jpg)
![Quartz in Quartz from Coleman Mine, Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas, USA [db_pics/pics/tcq04b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq04b.jpg)
![Quartz in Quartz from Coleman Mine, Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas, USA [db_pics/pics/tcq04c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq04c.jpg)
![Ajoite and Copper in Quartz from Messina Mine, Transvaal, South Africa [db_pics/pics/tcq05a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq05a.jpg)
![Ajoite and Copper in Quartz from Messina Mine, Transvaal, South Africa [db_pics/pics/tcq05b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq05b.jpg)
![Ajoite and Copper in Quartz from Messina Mine, Transvaal, South Africa [db_pics/pics/tcq05c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq05c.jpg)
![Citrine on Quartz and Danburite from Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico [db_pics/pics/tcq06a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq06a.jpg)
![Citrine on Quartz and Danburite from Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico [db_pics/pics/tcq06b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq06b.jpg)
![Citrine on Quartz and Danburite from Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico [db_pics/pics/tcq06c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq06c.jpg)
![Fluorite included in Quartz from Miandrivazo, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar [db_pics/pics/tcq08a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq08a.jpg)
![Smoky Quartz (REALLY twisted gwindel) from Goschenen Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland [db_pics/pics/tcq09a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq09a.jpg)
![Smoky Quartz (REALLY twisted gwindel) from Goschenen Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland [db_pics/pics/tcq09b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq09b.jpg)
![Amethyst stalactite from Artigas, Uraguay [db_pics/pics/tcq11a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq11a.jpg)
![Amethyst stalactite from Artigas, Uraguay [db_pics/pics/tcq11b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq11b.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq13a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq13a.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq13b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq13b.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq13c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq13c.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq13d.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq13d.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq14a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq14a.jpg)
![Quartz ps. after Wulfenite from Tsumeb, Namibia [db_pics/pics/tcq15a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq15a.jpg)
![Quartz ps. after Wulfenite from Tsumeb, Namibia [db_pics/pics/tcq15b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq15b.jpg)
![Quartz ps. after Wulfenite from Tsumeb, Namibia [db_pics/pics/tcq15c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq15c.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq16a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq16a.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) on Hematite from Le Chang, Guangdong Province, China [db_pics/pics/tcq17a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq17a.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) on Hematite from Le Chang, Guangdong Province, China [db_pics/pics/tcq17b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq17b.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) on Hematite from Le Chang, Guangdong Province, China [db_pics/pics/tcq17c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq17c.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq18a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq18a.jpg)
![Quartz (optical quality) from San Cristobal , Santander Department, Colombia [db_pics/pics/tcq18b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq18b.jpg)
![twisted Smoky Quartz with gwindel on the side from Feldschijen Glacier, Goscheneralp, Goschenen Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland [db_pics/pics/tcq19a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq19a.jpg)
![twisted Smoky Quartz with gwindel on the side from Feldschijen Glacier, Goscheneralp, Goschenen Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland [db_pics/pics/tcq19b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq19b.jpg)
![twisted Smoky Quartz with gwindel on the side from Feldschijen Glacier, Goscheneralp, Goschenen Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland [db_pics/pics/tcq19c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq19c.jpg)
![twisted Smoky Quartz with gwindel on the side from Feldschijen Glacier, Goscheneralp, Goschenen Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland [db_pics/pics/tcq19d.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq19d.jpg)
![twisted Smoky Quartz with gwindel on the side from Feldschijen Glacier, Goscheneralp, Goschenen Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland [db_pics/pics/tcq19e.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq19e.jpg)
![Jacare Quartz from Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil (1989) [db_pics/pics/tcq20a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq20a.jpg)
![Jacare Quartz from Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil (1989) [db_pics/pics/tcq20b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq20b.jpg)
![Jacare Quartz from Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil (1989) [db_pics/pics/tcq20c.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq20c.jpg)
![Amethyst on Quartz from Jackson's Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia, USA [db_pics/pics/tcq21a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq21a.jpg)
![Amethyst on Quartz from Jackson's Crossroads, Wilkes Co., Georgia, USA [db_pics/pics/tcq21b.jpg]](db_pics/pics/tcq21b.jpg)