Amethyst is VERY rare from Naica and large crystals literally almost unheard of - which makes this specimen a killer for the locale. Lustrous and translucent, light purple-colored amethyst crystals to 12.5 cm in length, form a floater bow-tie cluster! They have small bits of attached sphalerite in back, as the only contact. Although not gemmy, nor glassy like Guerrero or VeraCruz amethysts, this is a significant specimen in the size, habit, and locality representation departments. It is also very aesthetic, on its own merits.

A superb small cabinet piece from the 2006 finds here, one which I sold at the time. The specimen is notable for its display qualities, and the rich contrasting association to the jet black sphalerite. Three crystals of lustrous and gemmy , nearly colorless fluorite to 3 cm across, are aesthetically perched high on a matrix of intergrown clusters of lustrous, metallic sphalerite (along with minor galena and chalcopyrite). The sphalerite is complexly crystallized form smaller crystals, and so throws off a lot of reflections in person, complementing the transparent fluorites above - through which the light just flies on through. The largest fluorite crystal exhibits a green color center although their "bodies" are colorless. Although not in the Heck collection of Mexican minerals as are most others in this update, this piece is from the Stoudt collection which I also recently acquired, and so fit well within the larger update. Out of hundreds and hundreds of pieces I handled (i bought entire lots direct at the mine, in this time), this was one of my favorites of the lot and i recommended it to one of my closest friends and collectors at the time, because of that reason. I stand by it today...such a quality has not been found since, and for my personal taste this remains one of the very finest of the find in its size range.

Four species on one specimen , with style! Here we have elongated crystals, to 2.8 cm in length, of finely crystallized, splendent, brassy yellow pyrite which have pseudomorphed (replaced) elongated pyrrhotite crystals. though the form is unusual, both the form for pyrrhotite and this replacement is well documented at this locale, and considered an old classic find. These are perched, along with lustrous black crystals of sphalerite to 3 cm across, on milky, translucent quartz crystals to 4 cm in length. All are of high quality and stick out in different directions like they were stuck into a pincushion, making this a very 3-dimensional specimen.

A fine twinned Elmwood calcite that has been in my own calcite collection since the mid 1990's, this is one I always loved for size and balance. The crystal is 7.5 x 5 x 2.1 cm in size and is just perched there atop the knoll of sphalerite like a frisbee balanced on a rock. It is freestanding and complete all around, which I loved for display, on this natural pedestal. The sphalerite has a slight hint of red and is well crystallized on the front, contacted in back (and with one slight bruise I should mention - but its not visually detracting. you have to look to see it). In person , it is quite gemmier than it appears, and has that nice rich amber-beer color that makes the contrast with the sphalerite all the more strong. You can see through to the sphalerite underneath, in fact. Despite the freestanding nature of the exposed crystal, the piece was collected very carefully and has only very trivial edge wear, minor on the tips and really not significant by any normal standard. I have owned it for something like 15 years now. Joe Budd photos

A complex crystal cluster of fluorite consisting of gemmy, pastel-green, highly modified cubes, sits atop a perch of sphalerite in this elegant and really special combination piece. The quality is amazing - you just have to see it in person to grasp all the complexity, and catch the full gemminess. One special bonus are the tiny, brilliantly metallic, sprinkles of pyrite floating about inside. It is 360-degrees, complete all around! One of the special fluorites among many in this fine old Mexican mineral collection. Joe Budd photos.

A very large, pastel green fluorite crystal sits perched on a nest of small , lustrous sphalerites here. Large octos from Naica are much more rare than the cubic forms, and seldom seen in this quality. The crystal measures 3 inches on a line. Actually, is frontal face terminates not in an octohedral point, but in a modified cubic termination (as coming out of the screen). One of the highlights of this fine old Mexican mineral collection. Joe Budd photos.

A really neat locality piece with an approximately 8mm amber-colored, gorgeous sphaerlite crystal completely enclosed within the tip of this undamaged quartz point!