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Mineral Specimens with Schorl
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Classic locality combination with schorl, snow-wite albite, and etched orange spessartine in matrix (though there is not much there, I admit)8 x 6.4 x 5.5 cm
A CLASSIC San Diego garnet, most likely dating to the Louis Spalding Sr. era of mining when the best all came out of this small mine in remote San Diego County. This is a SUPER specimen as it features a crystal which is not only large (2.5 cm) but sharply formed whereas most of them are etched and partially dissolved. Large, intact spessartines of this size are VERY scarce on the market and even in the major collections in San Diego where they are considered one of the top collectibles from the area. 6 x 6 x 5 cm
A CLASSIC San Diego combo specimen, most likely dating to the Louis Spalding Sr. era of mining when the best all came out of this small mine in remote San Diego County. This is a really showy combination specimen for the price, as it features a 1.2 cm partially etched crystal which is not only very colorful but also still retains some of the original crystal faces (though not all). Nearly all garnets of any size recovered from this mine show etching to some degree , asthe solutions started to resorb them sometime after formation. Here, at least, the crystal has color and visual appeal especially as it sits nicely in contrasting white albite between two schorl rabbit-ears. Large, intact spessartines of this size are VERY scarce on the market and even in the major collections in San Diego where they are considered one of the top collectibles from the area. This one came through noted California dealer Al Ordway, who always has great San Diego stuff from the old days! 5.7 x 5 x 2.5 cm
A MAJOR specimen of import, that is widely regarded as by far the largest cassiterite known from California. It features a rough but nevertheless fully-formed cassiterite crystal that measures over 9 cm, adjoined on its rear by minor albite and an overhanging schorl crystal. Now, the schorl is repaired (heavily so, in fact) but this mess is hidden by the cassiterite itself and does detract from value but not from the display view and quality. In other words, since the cassiterite is the "star" and it is not the item which is repaired, the piece is still very worthy of consideration in my opinion. It is one of those minerals that is not as pretty as you would perhaps like it to be, but is of undeniable importance nonetheless in the scope of mineralogy and of California collecting in particular. 12.4 x 9.1 x 7 cm
11.1 x 3.3 x 1.9 cm. A superb, highly lustrous, striated, sharply terminated, cabinet sized schorl crystal beautifully accented with water-clear quartz crystals and bladed, snow-white albite from recent finds in the Shigar Valley of Pakistan. The large, 2.5 cm, quartz crystal is doubly terminated. Ex. Gene Meieran Collection.
WOW! Now, THIS is a schorl! It rises in an elegant cluster of parallel-growth crystals from a slender base, and is as dramatic as you could ask for. It is large, pristine, and shiny. Despite the flood of material out of the Erongos, it is one of the most visually impressive specimens of schorl that has crossed my path and I was thrilled to get it in this small collection. A similarly-sized cabinet piece of schorl, of this quality, would cost a fortune if from Pakistan but the Erongo material is notoriously cheaper these days so it is relatively underpriced (in my opinion) compared to comparable schorls from elsewhere. 11.5 x 6.9 x 4 cm
11.0 x 5.4 x 3.8 cm. A superb Erongo schorl specimen. Here, the schorl crystals are isolated on a bed of transparent quartz crystals. They have excellent luster, and are all complete and terminated. Those are little feldspars decorating the schorls.
10.9 x 3.8 x 3.4 cm. This is a single large crystal of fantastic quality. The luster is like black glass. There are a myriad of sub-terminations around all the sides, culminating in a complex three-spoked main termination on top. The crystal is in fabulous condition, in addition to having wonderful form, luster and size.
12.8 x 11.8 x 7.8 cm. This is a big specimen for Erongo, museum-sized, with huge, chunky crystals that measure to over 3 cm across the top of their sharp pyramidal terminations. They have incredible luster, and really show off against the background of contrasting, snowy white microcrystalline feldspar.
7.9 x 6.2 x 3.7 cm. A rich, gemmy, cluster of vibrant blue aquamarines from 1990s finds in the Erongo Mountains. This locality surprised everybody in the mid-90s with its beryl production, and is likely to be looked back on as a true modern classic. This piece has a great 3-dimensionality, high lustre, and many good crystals on it. Unusually, the terminations are super-glassy - many aqua pockets from this region don’t have such good terminations. Ex. Dr. Edward David Collection.
7.4 x 5.8 x 5.8 cm. Here is a superb Erongo Mountain schorl featuring an isolated, compound crystal on matrix that could hardly be more perfect. Measuring 3.5 cm, its luster is like black glass.
6.8 x 5.9 x 3.8 cm. A fine Erongo schorl specimen - a sculptural assemblage of four glassy black crystals, all terminated, with just one area of matrix contact on the specimen.
9.6 x 7.7 x 7.2 cm. A superb schorl with sharp and lustrous crystals ensconced in a nest of the glistening white bladed cleavelandite. Additionally, this piece has associated minerals for accent - a 1 inch or so pink apatite near the base, and a gem quartz crystal as well. The schorl termination is complete and pristine, with incredible luster. Mined in early 2008. Weighs 557 grams.
5.9 x 4.6 x 3.0 cm. Good schorls are quite familiar from Erongo, but what makes this specimen interesting is the sharp, euhedral crystals of feldspar that accent the fine schorl here. Feldspar is often associated with these schorls, but not in this sharpness and quality, making this a very "different" Erongo specimen.
5.1 x 4.5 x 3.0 cm. An old-time combination specimen from Plumas County, which at the Grizzly Mine and other localities has a pretty strong record of producing good smoky quartz specimens. It is the combination here which is so interesting: the smoky quartzes are intergrown with balls of muscovite mica and radiating crystals of schorl tourmaline. Ex. Richard Hauck Collection.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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