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ex. Francis and Patricia Benjamin
Simply stunning! the pictures DO NOT do this specimen justice. It is MUCH MORE INTENSE than others you see fomr the locality, literally in the top 1percentile for color an dintensity, not to mention the great lustre and pristine condition. ILLUSTRATED IN MINERALOGICAL RECORD's MEXICO ISSUE ON THIS LOCALITY
ex. Francis and Patricia Benjamin
Just your basic smoky, but look closely! It has just exceptional lustre, and gemminess, and is a fully terminated floater! It is not a lot of money but it IS a superb specimen in a very collectible size, from a region we so often see big clunkers from.
This is a particularly aesthetic cluster of herk's, with real elegance to it instead of the "jumbliness" we so often get in larger chain clusters of these gem crystals. For that matter, the piece has crystals of a uniform gemminess and clarity , not marred by the usual ugly duckling in the midst of most clusters of several crystals or more. Taken together, these qualities make it a very special piece. Ed loved these, and had over 15 examples in the collection, more than any other variety of quartz. All, like this one, were carefully chosen by somebody who's seen literally hundreds over the years, to be extra special. I should say that, as with generally ALL large herkimer clusters, this piece is multiply repaired (by the collectors, usually). Comes with custom base. 9.0 x 8.5 x 3.3 cm
Wow...what more can you say than the pics convey? this pyrite is PRISTINE all around front and sides, contacted only on the back out of view. The quartz is pristine and complete all around. It is 3-dimensional, dramatic, and just plain unique in overall combinatorial aesthetics! I love the secondary ntricate faces on the pyrite, and how they reflect light in person to make this appear even more starkly metallic against the contrasting matrix. Gene Schlepp obtained this from the Dr. Miguel Romero Collection in trade. Gene then sold it to Ed with whom it has remained. 10.4 x 8.7 x 5.2 cm
An extremely elegant, 3-dimensional specimen of this classic! This piece features a red-pink octohedraon sitting smack in the middle of VERY gemmy smoky quartz crystals which serve to frame it and highlight the color! This remarkable specimen was acquired from the collection of the strahler who found it, Otto Werther. For its size and price range, I think it is one of the best out there on the market and it was one of Ed's more well-known specimens in its original state (by which I should clarify - it was a larger plate with damage in the middle, and so I trimmed it to release this piece, and another which will be shown later featuring two slightly smaller fluorites on a plate about twice this size). 6.1 x 4.9 x 3.2 cm
This is a superb example of this rare nickel species, with brilliant hulk-green crystals to 1 cm in a protected cavity in a quartz geode. I believe this is the world's best locality for the species....at least, I have not seen good honessite from other places for sale. Honessite is MUCH more rare than the millerite found in geodes from this hard-to-collect locality (I know, i collected there as a kid!). The location is a roadcut along a major state highway, now completely off-limits to collectors. 4.9 x 3.8 x 2.4 cm
This is a very rich example of millerite nestled within a protected cavity in a quartz geode. This is a hard-to-collect locality (I know, i collected there as a kid!), and geodes this full and this wel filled are just rare as can be. The location is a roadcut along a major state highway, now completely off-limits to collectors. This particular specimen has millerite poking out all sides, and is delicate to mail, so best sold for hand-delivery at some time as possible. 4.6 x 3.9 x 3.3 cm
Crystallized turquise is for some reason a true rarity in nature and occurs only at a VERY few localities worldwide. This one, in Virginia, is the most famous of them. While the crystals individually are sub-mm, this piece overall has an incredibly rich and pristine coverage area that is loaded with them, making it an important specimen. 7.6 x 2.7 x 2.4 cm
Sharp woodhouseite crystals to 4 mm or so drape all over the quartz points here, makig nthis both a significantly rich and a beautiful specimen. I have seldom seen such good examples larger than a thumbnail, of this rare species named after the noted mineralogist Woodhouse. The mine is now close dand defunct, and this material is impossible to find easily on the market. As this is a large and somewhat showy piece, I attach value to it beyond just as a representative of the species. 8.1 x 5.6 x 2.2 cm
Interesting specimen of "mountain leather", a decrepitated claylike mineral that has the feel and sturdiness of cardboard. 4.5 x 4.2 x 4 cm
6.5 x 6.3 x 2.5 cm. A beautiful specimen from a new and thus far very small find in China! Balls of blue-green chrysocolla, isolated on a field of gemmy quartz crystals - quite striking and very different-looking from other worldwide chrysocolla specimens, which tend not to have this isolation of crystals and are more often "wall-to-wall" chrysocolla.
4.9 x 4.7 x 3.4 cm. A nicely-balanced combo of three Erongo Mountain minerals - it is unusual to see a nice quartz crystal combined with the aqua and schorl you often see together from this locality, however. The aqua is far from world-class, and in general, of course, Erongo specimens are not of the caliber of Brazilian or Pakistani ones, but the combination here is quite nice. The aqua IS terminated, though with a natural contact and some mineral attachment. The schorl is terminated as well.
6.4 x 2.2 x 1.5 cm. Amethysts from Brandberg are among the finest in the world, for their intense gemminess and delicate blushes of internal color. This one has the distinction of having two intergrown crystals in parallel, both doubly-terminated!
4.4 x 2.6 x 2.1 cm. What makes this Colorado quartz mini so pretty is the iron-oxide coating at the bottom of the crystals. The crystals are slender and elegant as well, and quite gemmy. Mined in 1995; just an unusually pretty little Colorado quartz!
5.3 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm. Another Brandberg amethyst, this one of a completely different style, and on MATRIX. It shows slight sceptering as well as skeletal growth at the top. There is actually a phantom inside, with the inner crystal being more colorless, outlined by the purple of the crystal that enveloped it. The crystal also features very prominent microcrystals of red lepidocrocite. Ex. Charlie Key collection. All Content and Design ©1996-2012 The ArkenstonePowered by http://mineralwebsites.comMineral Specimens by species; or by specimen id. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
share specimen![Amethyst from Las Vigas, Veracruz, Mexico [db_pics/pics/m06-11a.jpg]](db_pics/pics/m06-11a.jpg)
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