The Arkenstone: Specimen Galleries
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SAMPLES OF MIXED NEW FINDS FROM TUCSON SHOW, 2008 !


CALCITE: new style with gem prism terminations from CHINA
Superb , sharp hexagonal calcite crytsals with see-thru edges, many on matrix!

APATITE: new style from Shengus, Haramosh Mtns, PAKISTAN
Unusually richly colored red-pink , sharp hexagonal apatites!


t08-51 - Calcite - $450
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
SMALL CABINET, 9.3 x 6.9 x 4.5 cm
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This is a new find of lustrous, translucent to transparent calcite crystals: some with overgrowths, others with phantom zoning. These tabular, colorless, calcite crystals to 8 cm across, on a brecciated limestone matrix, are starkly dramatic! It is the short prismatic faces on the edges that are glassy and gemmy so that you can look down through them to the base of the crystal's attachment points, while a slightly frosted or whiter layer of calcite presents on the hexagonal faces. Some minor edge wear to the large crystal is evident, but this specimen and the others in this update are unlike any calcites yet discovered in China and this is of size sufficient for me to not care too much about the slight wear in context, since it has little visual impact. However, I did reduce the valuation accordingly by about 1/3 for it.




t08-52 - Calcite - $750
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
CABINET, 14.0 x 10.3 x 6.0 cm
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This matrix specimen of brecciated limestone is host to several large, tabular calcite crystals along with many small ones. the basal hexagonal faces are milky white while the short prismatic faces are glassy and gemmy so that you can look right down into them, presenting an ”oreo” effect in ghostly white! The largest of these calcite crystals is 5.5 cm across and they are nearly pristine - seemingly unusual for this find, in a cluster so large (most had MAJOR damage and had to be selected carefully).




t08-53 - Calcite - $475
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
CABINET, 14.7 x 9.8 x 7.6 cm
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White on white but with drama you do not often see...This matrix specimen features a large, tabular calcite crystal with milky overgrowths on the basal faces and glassy and gemmy, colorless, short prismatic faces that you can look right down through to the attachment beneath, presenting an ”oreo” effect in ghostly white! The largest crystal measures 8.5 cm across, quite a significant size for this find from what I saw at Tucson.




t08-54 - Calcite - $400
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
CABINET, 12.1 x 9.0 x 6.4 cm


A shard of dark gray limestone is the host for a very large calcite crystal which is framed, aesthetically, near the base by a cluster of smaller calcite crystals. The large crystal, 8.75 cm across, is thick, colorless, translucent and lustrous. It has a gemmy and colorless core which was overgrown by a later generation of calcite. Just like the other calcites in this update the short prismatic faces are the gemmiest and the contrast is very striking. Minor bruising on a few edges, and one contact at the lower-right-rear of the major crystal, is insignificant in context given this crystal appears to be the maximal size from the find, from what I saw in Tucson.




t08-55 - Calcite - $250
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
CABINET, 11.6 x 7.3 x 4.0 cm
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This matrix specimen features two calcite crystals, one with short prismatic faces and the other with much longer prismatic faces. Both crystals are colorless with good translucence, and gemmy prism faces. They also exhibit overgrowths milky overgrowths on the basal faces and glassy and gemmy, colorless, short prismatic faces that you can look right down through to the attachment beneath, presenting an ”oreo” effect in ghostly white! The larger, almost equant crystal measures 3.0 cm in length. This specimen offers a nice contrast in crystal growth and lots of angles to peer into the crystal cores.




t08-56 - Calcite - $475
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
SMALL CABINET, 8.3 x 7.8 x 7.3 cm
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This superb, aesthetic cluster of calcite crystals on matrix features crystals like an “oreo “ sandwich where the two basal faces are colored white at their very edges and the short prismatic faces between them are glassy and gemmy and colorless, so tha tyou can look inside down to the matrix underneath! The larger crystal measures 5.0 cm across. This is overall a very elegant combination of crystals on sparing matrix, and one of my favorites here.




t08-57 - Calcite - $750
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
SMALL CABINET, 8.3 x 6.8 x 5.4 cm
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A sliver of matrix is the host for four, intergrown crystals of calcite, to 4.5 cm across, splaying out from the core. This aesthetic arrangement features lustrous, translucent, colorless crystals, all with the characteristic overgrowths near the terminal hexagonal faces, contrasting with gemmy and glassy, short prismatic faces that you look through into the crystal from the edges. Very sharp and geometric!




t08-58 - Calcite - $750
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
SMALL CABINET, 7.3 x 4.7 x 3.8 cm
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This specimen features a nearly pristine, large calcite crystal, 7.3 cm across. The two basal faces have zones of ghostly white color in stark contrast to the short prismatic faces between them being glassy, gemmy and colorless. Unlike most of the others here, however, there are more gemmy clear areas to the side hexagonal faces, as you can see. Adding to the beauty and form of this specimen, is a small cluster of white calcite crystals at the base of the larger one. Looking down the gemmy prism faces, one can see all the way through 4cm or so to the bottom of the crystal and the slight bit of attached matrix underneath!




t08-59 - Calcite - $1250
Near Daye, Hubei Province, China
CABINET, 13.1 x 9.0 x 5.6 cm
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I believe this is the finest of these rare and unusual calcites for outright quality, in this update. The large crystal, 7.25 cm across, is extremely thin compared to its length and more gracile than others above. It is mostly a ghostly white color on the two basal hexagonal terminations which frame glassy and gemmy, colorless, short prismatic faces between them like an oreo sandwich. In addition, this magnificent large crystal is wreathed by many smaller white calcite crystals with no well-formed spacing between the flat sides (i.e. truncated prism faces), like sharp flat discs setting off the fatter crystal in their midst, all of which makes the specimen more elegant as a whole.




t08-60 - Calcite - $750
Near Daye, Hubei Province, China
SMALL CABINET, 8.5 x 6.5 x 6.1 cm
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This is another superb calcite specimen, that features a large calcite crystal, 7 cm across, with two, white basal terminations that sandwich a prismatic termination that is glassy, gemmy, and colorless so that you can look deep into the crystal through it. It is usually hard to photo this effect but these prism windows are so clear here, you can see in one photo that you are looking through the 4-cm-deep crystal right to the matrix underneath it! Smaller, white calcite crystals, like flattened disc with no prism faces, wreathe the base of this specimen. Side and back views are shown. Aesthetic!




t08-62 - Calcite - $1250
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
SMALL CABINET, 7.1 x 4.3 x 1.3 cm
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This single crystal of calcite has a lot going for it, and is unique amongst the pieces I was able to acquire. The core of the crystal is gemmy and colorless. The color then turns milky white but, near the termination are several layers of zoned colorless areas. The two edge hex faces sandwich glassy, gemmy, colorless, short prismatic faces which are so gemmy you can look right into , down, and through this crysatl from top to bottom. It is complete on both sides as you can see from the front and back views (sticker indicates the back side, to my eye, which has a slight matrix attachment). Very neat crystal!!




t08-63 - Calcite - $250 (SOLD)
near Daye, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China
Miniature, 5.6 x 4.2 x 2.1 cm
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Withfaint zoning, two hexagon-shaped basal terminations on either side frame the short prismatic, glassy, gemmy, colorless terminations between - they are so clear that you can look right down through them, into the crystal and to its bottom! Definitely this is the most fat and tabular crystal of the lot here !




T08-APA01 - Apatite with Tourmaline - $2000 (SOLD)
Shengus, Haramosh Mtns, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Miniature, 4.2 x 3.7 x 3.4 cm
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This is a very unusual apatite specimen from a new find in the area, not to be confused with the typical Pakistani apatites from Chumar Bakhoor. This piece has a very impressive 4 x 3 x 2 cm apatite crystal with the unique rich maroon-pink color that is apparently characteristic of this pocket, flanked by a diagonal dark green tourmaline and a few sprays of white cleavelandite matrix. The apatite is almost complete all around, with just a few contact points on the right side and the lower back. Certainly it is complete on the display face. On the back, you can see that the apatite is impaled by and encloses a second dark green tourmaline, as well. The color in person is to my eye exact with the monitor...a much redder hue of apatite than we are used to seeing from Pakistan with deep color, not pastel at all.




T08-APA02 - Apatite - $1250
Shengus, Haramosh Mtns, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Miniature, 4.1 x 3.9 x 2.9 cm
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This is a very unusual apatite specimen from a new find in the area, not to be confused with the typical Pakistani apatites from Chumar Bakhoor. This piece has a unique rich maroon-pink color that is apparently characteristic of this pocket, flanked by a few sprays of attached white cleavelandite matrix. The apatite is almost complete all around, with just one of the smaller edges on one side only, showing a break; and can be displayed in several orientations. The backside is complete as well - it is almost a floater. Certainly it is complete on the display face. The color in person is to my eye exact with the monitor...a much redder hue of apatite than we are used to seeing from Pakistan with deep color, not pastel at all.




T08-APA03 - Apatite on Muscovite - $600
Chumar Bakhoor, Hunza Valley, Gilgit District, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Miniature, 5.4 x 5.1 x 3.9 cm
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A sharp, gemmy, exceptionally translucent and glassy apatite crystal nestles snugly in bladed muscovite in this classic assemblage specimen from Chumar Bakhoor. The apatite is just about 2 cm across and is actually a composite of two intergrown crysatls, it seems. The apatite is gemmier than usual and the muscovite more individualized than usual...altogether a very fine large miniature for the price.




T08-APA04 - Apatite with Tourmaline - $1750
Shengus, Haramosh Mtns, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Miniature, 5.2 x 4.9 x 2.5 cm
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This is a very unusual apatite specimen from a new find in the area, not to be confused with the typical Pakistani apatites from Chumar Bakhoor. This piece has a very impressive 5 x 4.5 x 2 cm apatite crystal with the unique rich maroon-pink color that is apparently characteristic of this pocket, impaled on one edge by a diagonal dark green tourmaline. The apatite is almost complete all around, with just a few minor growth-contact points on the back side and the bottom-facing narrow face being entirely a growth contact. Certainly it is complete on the display face and all sides that matter! The color in person is to my eye exact with the monitor...a much redder hue of apatite than we are used to seeing from Pakistan with deep color, not pastel at all.




T08-APA05 - Apatite- $4000
Shengus, Haramosh Mtns, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Miniature, 4.6 x 2.7 x 2.3 cm
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This remarkable crystal is a complete floater! It is terminated all around, sculpturally 3-dimensional in a gracile way that almost looks curved, as the composite crystal shows outgrowths at angles to the original growth direction. The piece is complete all around with no damage beyond a few truly miniscule edge dings. The edge bevels are glassy and lustrous, and the whole crystal just "glows". This one is honestly more pink than the maroon-pink hue shown in others from this find, and close to the classic color of apatite from Chumar Bakhoor but a bit more "solid" and less pastel and soft. This is an outstanding, competition-level miniature.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com

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