|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
VLT-14 - Fluorite on Quartz - AUS$ 10506 Kavalerovo, near Dalnegorsk, Far-Eastern Region, Russia large cabinet, 17.7 x 15.6 x 6.2 cm
This piece features translucent bright forest-green octohedra to almost 2 inches, perched on contrasting matrix of CRYSTALLIZED quartz. This important fluorite specimen is from the older locality to the NE of Dalnegorsk, and represents the best of the classic green fluorite on white quartz assemblage from this location. It is an older specimen that was, I am told, in the well-known Vladimir Pelepenko Collection before it sold to a private American collector from whom I obtained it recently. This is undoubtedly one of the best specimens of this old material to hit the private market, in any case. This can be displayed either horizontally or vertically to equal effect. BETTER IN PERSON , and looks good either horizontally or vertically. Comes with custom engraved lucite base, for easy display.
GEM7-X3 - Rhodochrosite with Tetrahedrite on Quartz - AUS$ 42024 Sweet Home Mine, Alma Colorado large cabinet, 23 x 9 x 5 cm
For the size and overall visual impact, this is a stunning and unusually large rhodo plate with SHARP, and I mean SHARP, GEMMY crystals to 2 cm in size. Most of them average 1 cm. Sprinkled amonst the red, are sharp black clusters of metallic tetrahedrite which make for a really nice contrast. The overall shape of the piece is very sculptural with a slight curvature to it, not "cookiecutter" or blocky as so many large specimens are trimmed out from the plates they are sawed out on. The piece has the TOP CHERRY COLOR. This is not off-color, not strawberry in hue as so many you see on the market today are. This is a piece that has the color and lustre combination (important!) that, even "way back when" only a few years ago when the mine was still open, even in context of the many finds after 2001 or so before it closed, you couldnt get. Most people then and now settle for pieces with lesser color saturation, less lustre, and more damage...its all that is out there. I sold this one back in the late 90s and was happy to get it back recently! You just cannot find large cabinet rhodos of quality around. And this is one I am happy to have owned again and again, and would do so a third time. They appreciate at such a fast clip every year, 20% or so it seems, that I cannot replace my supply except by buying entire collections with specimens in them. So, I rarely sell mine. Or, as with this one, I'll give it a few months on the web and then pull it down and stash it for the future. Just cashflow...this is one rock I am happy to keep as rhodo today is "red gold" in the bank better than the cash is. Comes with custom lucite base for easy display. Recently, I had the chance to trade this older specimen back from a collector and i STILL find it unique, now, 3 years after I first had it.
VLT-51 - Gold - P.O.R. Grass Valley, California cabinet, 12 x 6 x 1 cm (5 inches tall) ex. Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences
This impressive large gold specimen has been on display in the Academy for ages, and was one of three golds in the hall showcase that featured gemstones, and arced up from the ground floor to the dinosaur hall. It is an old specimen with brilliant lustre and sharp crystallization characteristic of old mines of the Grass Valley district, though one cannot say which mine it might have been from, though from the style it appears to have been mined prior to WWII and perhaps much further back than that as the museum wasn't active in recent years. I have had large golds to offer, some more weighty than this one. However, THIS piece offers a huge visual bang for the buck because it is elongated and flat, all crystallized, so you don't pay for volumetric gold weight and mass that is not face-forward on display. The biological-looking growth of the tendrils atop really makes it special, for me. Moreover, I could not find one of this calibre and size today, without paying at least this much for it, even if I did find such a piece. You simply cannot get such a large, fine , display-quality gold specimen for the price from modern mining!
VLT-52 - PROUSTITE - AUS$ 8294 Chanarcillo, Chile (mined circa 1900, label dated 1910) miniature, 5.5 x 4 x 2.25 cm
CLASSIC ruby silver, mined in the late 1800s in Chanarcillo! A very showy specimen showcasing rare individualized crystals of proustite on matrix, in itself also rare as most are on massive lumpy proustite. Here we have real matrix of calcite crystals and rock. Also, as a bonus, a VERY nice old label! This specimen, with crystals to 1.5 cm, is beautiful from both sides. The proustite has great color and lustre. There is some damage, unfortunately, but that is why its not 50k as well. Its all in context. Overall, though, I feel this is a very good cost-compromise in that you get a large specimen with freestanding crystals, matrix, color and lustre without breaking the bank to do so. Such pieces are uncommon, in any event.
VLT-53 - Tourmaline with Quartz on Cleavelandite - P.O.R. Pederneira Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil cabinet, 13 x 12 x 9 cm (5 inches across)
Modern Art in minerals, I call this one... The sparkling brilliantly white Cleavelandite provides a stunning matrix for the gemmy rocket-like tourmalines, and a host of smaller tourmaliens dotting the backside as well. An elongated, gemmy , clear quarts crystal runs along the front horizon, providing a dramatic front view leading the eye up to the tourmalines suggestively. This is a VERY dramatic piece, one of the most enticing I have seen of this style ("rocket pocket") and for under 100k. This piece was mined in 2004, then kept in the collection of mine partners Daniel Trinchillo and Marcus Budil for several years, until obtained by me for a client in 2007. It is now offered back for sale for the first time publicly.
DEN07-05 - Smithsonite (2 generations) - AUS$ 35942 Kelly Mine, Magdalena, Socorro County, New Mexico cabinet, 23.5 x 15.2 x 12.8 cm (11 inches across) ex. William Greiger
WOW. I have simply never seen such a large Kelly Mine piece, preserved! And it is not only preserved , but its GOOD as well. The piece is complete all around, 360 degrees, and is a wonderful, classic blue color. It consists of two generations: the underlaying and more common botryoidal, rounded smithsonite; and a thin layer atop of actual CRYSTALS, rare from the locality. We call these "rice grain" smithsonites, as they are somewhat rounded, but this is what you get here, rarely, and there is more crystallized smithsonite on this specimen than I have seen on all others combined, passing through my hands over the years. This is from the personal collection of dealer WM Greiger, which was purchased recently by Pala Intl. It was likely obtained in the 1950s-1960s by him though mined probably even earlier as the richness is amazing and unlike later pockets hit here; and I regard it as a highly, HIGHLY significant US classic.
D06-243 - Emerald - Huge 2-inch, Complete Crystal - AUS$ 82943 Muzo Mine, Boyaca Dept., Colombia miniature, 5 x 3 x 2.5 cm
MORE GEMMY in person, please note! This large crystal weighs in at over 300 carats and is complete all around, terminated and with GLASSY lustre on ALL faces. The color is intense! VERY FEW Colombian emeralds reach sizes of this magnitude, and of those a vanishingly small percentage survive "geology" itself in the form of crystals we would want as collectors after millions of years in the ground. Then, they have to survive mining, extraction, and those ruthless jewelers and faceters who break up lovely crystals for a sliver of rough inside. Can you imagine the value on the lapidary market, particularly in Asia and in the auction houses, of a huge emerald bird or buddha carved from this thing?! I have seen lapidary carvings from previous gem crystals sell for fortunes, more than we would ever pay as a specimen. Thankfully, this crystal has a kinder fate. This is a phenomenal crystal that is obviously somethng significant...and fine, as well. There IS a difference, and the line is not fuzzy at all with this specimen. I bought and SOLD THIS IN MID-2006 and just obtained it back recently, still feeling it is one of the biggest and most impressive such crystals I can obtain today as well. (65 grams or approx. 325 carats)
Den07-28 - Stibnite - AUS$ 25989 Wuling Antimony Mine, Wuning Co., Jiujiang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, China large cabinet, 21.2 x 11.5 x 6.2 cm
An exquisite cluster from mining about 3-4 years ago that have by all acknowledgements produced the finest stibnites in the world since the ancient Japanese finds, now long gone. These brilliantly metallic crystals are so sharp and lustrous, they look machined. This particular specimen is one of the more robust clusters I have seen, with broad, fat crystals to 1 inch wide, in an elegant spray. It has the most trivial damage possible for such a large and exposed piece, and none of any significance. I looked through thousands of these, much of the find, and this was one of my favorite picks at ANY price and size range. Also, most of these are too large, if they are of any quality. This one is an excellent size for most collections, not too large, not too spindly-looking.
DEN07-29 - Aquamarine with Schorl & water bubble inclusions - AUS$ 33177 Braldu Valley, Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan cabinet, 14.5 x 13.0 x 8.0 cm
This is a briliantly lustrous, sparkling blue specimen that is large and unrepaired. The major crystal is 4 inches tall, and 2 inches across the termination! ALL crystals here are GLASSY, with the best lustre I have seen, almost glassy and polished in appearance. Even the terminations share the incredible lustre and clarity. Within the larger crystal is a large moving water bubble, easily seen; and a few smaller ones as well. The whole piece is a pocket floater! It broke away from the pocket wall and the backside was microcrystallized, so it is complete even on the bottom in a technical sense. More importantly, it look sgood all around, 360 degrees. I have not seen any aquas quite like this one, with the combination of lustre, color, and interesting inclusions (that serve to disperse light and enhance the color and sparkle inside). I will also add that large aqua plates like this, with no repairs, are VERY uncommon. The "Roof of the World" was not as productive this past summer season...pickings were slim at the Denver Show and this one, which I bought from a normal supplier en route to the show, was one of the very few pieces of any significance I saw there. I was lucky to get it as well, as this person holds a US citizenship and other Pakistani and Afghani dealers seem to have not been able to clear the visa hurdles to get their specimens here, this year.
VLT-26 - Silver with Bornite and Chalcopyrite - AUS$ 74648 Kongsberg, Norway cabinet, 14.0 x 8.5 x 4.0 cm (6.5 inches tall) ex. Dr. Edward David
A gorgeous and LARGE (6.5 inches tall!) silver specimen from this classic locality that looks like a cluster of striking snakes, coiled together. For size, it just bowls you over. Moreover, it is very beautiful not just for the overall form, but because it has a unique patina of minute bornite and chalcopyrite crystals that gives it a "sparkle" in person. It is very different in aspect, thus, from what you normally see. This is a MAJOR Kongsberg of a size we almost never see for sale on the modern market, like what exists only in the major museums by and large.
VLT-27 - Kunzite - P.O.R. Pech, Kunar Province, Afghanistan cabinet, 54 x 12 x 8.6 cm (approx. 2 feet)
weight: 29.4 pounds Perhaps one of the world's largest crystals for the species ! It is complete all around, and with remarkably little etching effects given the size of the crystal. It is nearly entirely gemmy, especially in teh center. The tip just glows with purple and maroon hues, with any kind of good lighting , especially when light comes down the c-axis. For the sharp termination, this would be major anyhow, even if it were small. but in this size, its literally a museum piece and among the most impressive examples of this species I have seen. It is not so easy to hold as it looks...for any more than a few seconds in that position.
GEM7-X1 - Tourmaline var. Elbaite with Quartz & Lepidolite on Cleavelandite - P.O.R. Pederneira Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil (2001) large cabinet, 21 x 15 x 14 cm ex. Martin Zinn
Modern Art in minerals, I call this one...and family and friends who are not into minerals immediately "get it" when they see this in my case (i had it at home for a few years). This fantastic display piece is pristine all around, though multiply repaired and restored at junctions (as all from this pocket of any size were). The crystals exhibit an amazing juxtaposition of prismatic and flat basal terminations in a series: pointy-flat-pointy-flat-pointy right across the piece. Never seen the like, with so many examples of two different terminations of tourmaline upon the same matrix?! The largest tourmaline is 11cm and I can tell you that, as far as I am concerned, the price is reasonable because individual crystals that size or clusters such as we have on the right would add up to the whole pirce pretty quickly here, if it was trimmed and sold in pieces (the tragedy!). Stunning white Cleavelandite is host, and it is sprinkled with metallic purple lepidolite as well so that color abounds and everything is nice and sparkly. The gorgeous multicolored tourmalines (to 4.3 inches or 11 cm in height) stick up and out; while gemmy, clear, perfect quartz points grow amongst the tourmaline on the right side and stick out laterally towards the viewer in front (they are so gemmy they are difficult to photograph in contcxt here - better in person!). The tourmalines have a very 3-dimensional geometry, poking out every which way. When this pocket first came to light during re-mining projects to expand specimen production at the Pederneira Mine in 2001, it all went up to Denver to be prepped and repaired (all large specimens had come apart, and had to be put back together carefully using new techniques developed partly for the purpose). Zinn, a longtime Denver collector and longtime supporter of the company handling the pocket, got a few specimens from the find. This is one of those cases where, for the beauty of the mineral, even a sophisticated collector who might normally shun repairs , will readily accept them in context...so long as the result is as clean and beautiful as this piece is. This was Marty's pick of the lot for a cabinet sized matrix specimen, and he had an early shot at it, too. I have seen pieces at literally triple the price that I did not like so much as this one! It is, despite all the hundreds of specimens I have now seen over the years as the Ped ramped up production, still a unique pocket for combination of colors and matrix. Each pocket over the years has been distinct. This piece in particular always was, again out of literally hundreds of pieces I have seen, one of my absolute favorites and one I lusted after when the Zinn collection was sold. This is one of those pieces that, even amongst a tonne of tourmaline from the same mine, stands out. I would always want it back again, should the owner change his mind a ta later time. Comes with custom lucite base for easy display. (First photo by Joe Budd studios)
gem7-X6 - Morganite with Albite on Schorl - AUS$ 16036 Urucum Mine, Galileia, Minas Gerais, Brazil large cabinet, 17 x 11 x 6.5 cm
This pegmatite has produced arguably the best and largest number of fine morganites in the world from any one small find, back about 30 years ago now. This is a HUGE specimen with so much color and impact, because of the size, that it seems fake at first! It masses/weighs just over a kilo. The crystal measures 10 x 8.5 cm , is 3.5 cm or 1.75 inches thick, and is complete all around. It has a minor indentation on the left side, that is crystallized in faces with attached albite blades over them. There are a few small spots of roughness in the front face that were filled with gap-fill epoxy (its there, but in context of size and overall impact minimal). The white spot at the base of the crystal is part of the matrix that grows up into the crystal or vice versa, and is albite as well, though massive and not crystallized. This specimen is translucent to transparent throughout, highly lustrous, and a rich pink-lavender color that is distinctly Urucum's own hue. Classically, you want these to be associated with schorl but not drowned out by the schorl - too many are actually so included they look gray or ugly. This one has just enough schorl on it to accent without taking away from the pink gemminess and transparency, the black on pink making for a better piece. More importantly, this crystal stands miraculously UPRIGHT on a matrix of solid intergrown schorl and albite! Ok, its not a miracle, but rather an excellent trim job by one of our friends. Because of its wonderful display aesthetics, this one whopper of a morganite, both literally and figuratively, for ANY locale. IT IS MUCH BETTER IN PERSON! Comes with custom lucite base for easy display.
lep26 - Lepidolite with Tourmaline on Albite - AUS$ 1991 Pech, Kunar Province, Afghanistan cabinet, 14.7 x 11.5 x 7.6 cm
I first saw these at Munich, just a few pieces, and now had the chance to select some material direct from the mines via emailed pictures. After trimming and cleaning, we got out 3 very choice cabinet specimens of this new find of unusual "ropey" lepidolite, with a velvety texture and deep lavender color. This particular piece has a 10 cm arc of lepidolite crystals perched atop the white albite matrix, with minor tourmalines sticking out The larger one is broken off, but seems also partially rehealed). It is starkly beautiful, and displays very nicely as shown. Very pretty and unusual for the region - lepidolite specimens as a primary mineral are frankly unheard of from here and I wouldn't have thought they would make my list of desirable Afghani minerals in collectible quality, til now!
lep27 - Lepidolite with Tourmaline on Albite - AUS$ 1106 Pech, Kunar Province, Afghanistan cabinet, 15.9 x 12.0 x 8.9 cm
I first saw these at Munich, just a few pieces, and now had the chance to select some material direct from the mines via emailed pictures. After trimming and cleaning, we got out 3 very choice specimens of this new find of unusual "ropey" lepidolite, with a velvety texture and deep lavender color. This specimen hosts a "flowing" cluster of lepidolites that looks like it is oozing off the top, and is about 8.5 cm across. Yuo can see minor tourmalines poking out here and there, too. Very pretty and unusual for the region - lepidolite specimens as a primary mineral are frankly unheard of from here and I wouldn't have thought they would make my list of desirable Afghani minerals in collectible quality, til now!
All Content and Design ©1996-2010 The ArkenstoneBy-species Galleries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
