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


T08-67 - Spinel - $2500
Gon Deposit, near Timpton River, Lena River Valley, Aldan, Aldan Shield, (Yakutia), Eastern Siberian, Russia
Small Cabinet, 5.5 x 5.3 x 3.9 cm
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This whopper of a spinel crystal is complete all around and free of damage, measuring 5.5 x 4 x 4 cm in size, and beautifully terminated. It has a rich "satiny" lustre, characteristic of pocket-growth crystals that have never been covered by other rock, or calcite infill which has to be removed with acid. This locality historically produced spinels of this calibre, but I had never seen a complete one in this condition and of such size; and in any case they came out 20 years and more ago. This new find at the same old locale has provided us a small new supply of these spinel classics. What is nice , though, is that the overall quality for this combination of size and crystal habit of spinel has not been surpassed in the meantime - they stand as important spinels, not just as interesting locality classics, in other words.




T08-75 - Spinel - $450
Gon Deposit, near Timpton River, Lena River Valley, Aldan, Aldan Shield, (Eastern Siberian, Russia
Thumbnail, 2.6 x 2.4 x 2.3 cm
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This equant, sharp spinel crystal is free of damage, measuring 2.25 cm in each dimension, and beautifully terminated. It is totally complete except for a few minor contacts of attached matrix on back, and floats freestanding on a pedestal of natural matrix! It has a rich "satiny" lustre, characteristic of pocket-growth crystals that have never been covered by other rock, or calcite infill which has to be removed with acid. This locality historically produced spinels of this calibre, but I had never seen one of such size and in any case they came out 20 years and more ago. This new find at the same old locale has provided us a small new supply of these spinel classics. What is nice , though, is that the overall quality for this combination of size and crystal habit of spinel has not been surpassed in the meantime - they stand as important spinels, not just as interesting locality classics, in other words.




T08-86 - Spinel - $6000
Gon Deposit, near Timpton River, Lena River Valley, Aldan, Aldan Shield, (Eastern Siberian, Russia
CABINET, 10 x 8.1 x 6.7 cm
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This whopper of a spinel crystal is complete all around and free of damage, measuring 8 x 8 x 7 cm in size, and beautifully terminated. It has a rich "satiny" lustre, characteristic of pocket-growth crystals that have never been covered by other rock, or calcite infill which has to be removed with acid. This locality historically produced spinels of this calibre, but I had never seen one of such size and in any case they came out 20 years and more ago. This new find at the same old locale has provided us a small new supply of these spinel classics. What is nice , though, is that the overall quality for this combination of size and crystal habit of spinel has not been surpassed in the meantime - they stand as important spinels, not just as interesting locality classics, in other words. I purchased these at Munich actually, but only recently got them delivered. THIS IS THE LARGEST OF THE NEW FIND, AND WAS ILLUSTRATED IN The Mineralogical Record Munich Show Report, Jan-Feb 2008.




T08-82 - Spinel on Vesuvianite - $750
Gon Deposit, near Timpton River, Lena River Valley, Aldan, Aldan Shield, (Eastern Siberian, Russia
Small Miniature, 2.7 x 2.4 x 2.0 cm
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This exquisite matrix miniature of a spinel crystal is complete all around and free of damage, and beautifully terminated. It has a rich "satiny" lustre, characteristic of pocket-growth crystals that have never been covered by other rock, or calcite infill which has to be removed with acid. This locality historically produced spinels of this calibre, but they came out 20 years and more ago. This new find at the same old locale has provided us a small new supply of these spinel classics. What is nice , though, is that the overall quality for this combination of size and crystal habit of spinel has not been surpassed in the meantime - they stand as important spinels, not just as interesting locality classics, in other words.




T08-64 – Ottensite on Stibnite - $1500 (SOLD)
Dachang, Qinglong Co., Guizhou Province, China
SMALL CABINET, 8.5 x 8.3 x 4.3 cm
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A relatively rich and relatively not-so-ugly-as-usual specimen of this new species, from the type and only location known so far. The stibnites measure to about an inch. Much of this material was lost before it was described, because it was "cleaned" off, and so few large specimens remained to be had. From the type locality, from the collection of Marcus Origlieri who helped analyse the new species.




T08-65 – Ottensite on Stibnite - $10000
Dachang, Qinglong Co., Guizhou Province, China
CABINET, 21.9 x 14.8 x 9.0 cm
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A relatively rich and relatively not-so-ugly-as-usual specimen of this new species, from the type and only location known so far. The stibnites measure to about an inch. Much of this material was lost before it was described, because it was "cleaned" off, and so few large specimens remained to be had. From the type locality, from the collection of Marcus Origlieri who helped analyse the new species. He tells me that this is the largest fine specimen showing rich ottensite, good stibnite, and matrix, which he had kept for his own collection.




T08-66 - Ferrotantalite (11-pound complete crystal!) - $5000
Linopolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil
LARGE CABINET, 17.2 x 10.5 x 6.4 cm
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This monster is a COMPLETE, undamaged, 11-pound crystal (over 4 kilos!). It is fully and perfectly terminated and the fact that such a thing has survived s to me a minor miracle. The crystal is truly complete all around, and to me is a massively important mineral specimen for Brazil or a rare earth element collection. It has not been cleaned yet (I just got home with it) and the lustre might improve with some chemical cleaners, if desired, but the au naturale look also is nice because it shows that these are natural faces so you don't have to worry about looking for cleavage planes. What is tantalum worth today? There is a sizable intrinsic value in this piece if you just give it to the smelter, I would think, as its almost pure tantalum and is the major ore for the stuff. By the way, its not easy to hold in one hand for scale for very long, for a photo!




T08-68 – Shigaite, Rhodochrosite - $3500
N’Chwaning Mine, Kalahari, South Africa
ex. John Barlow Collection
CABINET, 10.0 x 7.8 x 6.0 cm
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This specimen has dark red crystals of the rare manganese species shigaite, ensconced on attractive, sparkling manganite blades and accented by rhodochrosite. It is from a small 1993 pocket and is said to be one of the best of that pocket. It was sold to John barlow soon after by Charlie Key. An important specimen, this piece at one time was considered one of the world's great specimens for the species and resided in a pre-eminent collection of such rarities (John Barlow's). It still is significant, though others have been found recently of a different style. The new ones are more gracile and fragile-looking but have a metallic lustre and brighter color, whereas these crystals are more robust and dark. Also this matrix association is unique to the 1993 pocket which really did redefine the species in terms of quality. Illustrated in the F John Barlow Collection book, in his chapter on South Africa.




T08-69 - Bayldonite - $3500
Tsumeb, Namibia
CABINET, 9.6 x 6.2 x 5.5 cm
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This solid, hefty, weighty specimen (over 580 grams) is 100% bayldonite of three different forms! It has massive bayldonite on which is a layer of microcrystalline druse, sparkling in vugs. In the central vug are elongated, acicular crystals of hairlike bayldonite, quite unusual for the species. This is an old specimen that came out of Harvard some time ago , and ended up in the George Elling collection for a number of years. It is almost certainly from the early 1900s and the first (upper) oxidation zone at Tsumeb based on comparison to other documented pieces from that era of bayldonite (particularly common as a pseudomorph, then). Primary bayldonite of this richness, though, is amazing to me and I have never seen the like. This is a tremendously important (and luckily, quite colorful) Tsumeb rarity.




T08-70 - Stolzite - $12500 (SOLD)
22nd Level, Sainte-Lucie Mine, Saint-Leger-de Peyres, Lozere, France
ex. John Barlow Collection
Miniature, 5.3 x 5.4 x 2.1 cm
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An incredible crystal for the species, complete and terminated, and the largest known so far as I can determine from asking people who specialize in such things. Illustrated in the John Barlow Collection book, and stated by him to be the largest known, this is an important French mineral and an important rarity. I backtracked its history to Eric Asselborn, who handled this pocket when it was found after purchasing the contents from the strahler. This quality has never been repeated despite more searching, and Eric assured me (in writing on the label here), that he kept this for some time as the largest complete crystal of the find, eventually parting with it to Barlow. It is contacted slightly with attached matrix, but it IS complete. His note states that this is the largest crystal from the pocket.




T08-71 - Tsumcorite - $2400 (SOLD)
De Wet Shaft, Tsumeb, Namibia
Miniature, 3.7 x 2.9 x 1.8 cm
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With incredible display-worthy quality for the species, this specimen features dozens of sharp, terminated, freestanding crystals of tsumcorite in relatively large clusters to several mm. Normally, the material is either just micro-level or on ugly specimens but this is a display-worthy miniature! Significant rarity , of one of the minerals from Tsumeb that is very unique in such quality to this, the type locality.




T08-72 – Hessonite Garnet with mg-Epidote - $3000
Giu Margone, Piemont, Italy
ex. Martin Zinn Collection
ex. Edward David Collection
SMALL CABINET, 6.3 x 4.7 x 4.6 cm
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When I first saw this labelled as spessartine garnet with vesuvianite, I thought something was odd from the habits and color of the combination. I took it to show a number of European collectors to confirm its oddity, since I had never had a similar specimen before, and the consensus was that this is a superb example, worth $2500-5000 range, of a rare variety of magnesium-rich epidote from a famous find in the 1970s. This is an important locality specimen, but its also a superb piece aesthetically for the contrast of crystal forms and colors. The largest mg-Epidote is 3 cm tall and the largest garnet is 2 cm tall, both finely crystallized. While there are some little spots of damage or contact, the major crystals are in good shape and the piece overall presents well enough that two very serious collectors owned it anyways, even without knowing (as I did not!) exactly how rare and desirable the piece was with the full identification now on it. From the Marty Zinn collection to Ed David through purchase, and then recently from the Ed David Collection to me in an exchange.




T08-73 - Zircon - $900
Island of Seiland, Finmark, Norway
Miniature, 5.5 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm
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A very sharp, impressive, equant, lustrous, 2.4-cm zircon crystal well-exposed , from this classic old locality for the species! Specimens of this size, well-exposed and on matrix, are hard to obtain today and I have seen only a few in the last decade or so turn up, from old collections.




T08-74 - Bixbyite - $5000
N'Chwaning I Mine, Kalahari manganese fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
Miniature, 3.9 x 2.9 x 2.4 cm
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This remarkable specimen turned up in a small South African collection and when I showed it to Charlie Key, expert on all things African, his jaw dropped and he said something like "I never thought I'd see another..." He apparently had one from this same pocket, in the early 1980s, and has not had another since. This specimen he ranked very highly, and said they would both be among the best he knew of from the Kalahari fields. By worldwide standards, these would also have to command top spot except for a very few specimens from Utah, and those are of differernt habit entirely. The lustre and sharpness on these are amazing, they look carved. The large crystal is 1.6 cm, ranking very highly for the species. The sharpness and lustre, though, make this so distinct from Utah material of similar size that I thought at first this must be magnetite and not bixbyite. Charlie also confirmed the locality information for me.




T08-76 - Tobermorite - $900 (SOLD)
Concepcion del Oro Mine, Zacatecas, Mexico
ex. Martin Zinn Collection
Miniature, 3.9 x 2.3 x 1.9 cm
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Brilliantly shimmering, lustrous, large balls of tobermorite crystals , forming a translucent "blob" over matrix of pyrite, make this the most visibly appealing example of the species I have seen myself. Its a display-quality miniature, from old Mexican finds (I am told 1960s). This was in the Marty Zinn collection for a long time (#1492). Apparently the small acicular tufts are also tobermorite.




T08-77 - Pseudomalachite on Chrysocolla - $600
Mt. Glorious Mine, Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia
SMALL CABINET, 6.3 x 5.1 x 3.4 cm
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Pseudomalachite is a phosphate, NOT a carbonate like malachite, and the two are often mixed up in favor of malachite. This is an excellent, showy, display-sized specimen from this famous occurrence, one of the great classic finds for the species.




T08-78 - Mendipite - $900 (SOLD)
Mendip Hills, Somerset, England, UK
Miniature, 4.3 x 2.5 x 2.0 cm
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A superb, rich specimen of mendipite in a seam of ore, from this important classic locale. Very rare material, and generally considered to be the finest of species.




T08-79 - Senaite - $450 (SOLD)
Oberaar area, Grimsel, Hasli Valley, Bern, Switzerland
Miniature, 4.7 x 3.4 x 2.6 cm
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A robust 4mm crystal of this very, VERY rare lead-titanium-iron-manganese oxide. The crystal is sharp and 3-dimensional, showing all side faces. Old Siber & Siber label.




T08-80 - Hambergite - $4000
Shengus, Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
ex. Gene Meieran Collection
SMALL CABINET, 6.7 x 3.7 x 1.9 cm
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This is a robust, complete, floater crystal of hambergite showing unusually good terminations (usually they are long and tapered, or etched) that are broad, lustrous, and complete. The crystal is doubly-terminated, though the bottom termination is not as well formed as the top. It is a very, very sharp example of new finds here which have really redefined the quality of a terminated hambergite we could expect to own in a collection, bringing this rarity up to a display-level it has not often been seen in before. This is from the Gene Meieran Collection, to me in exchange recently.




T08-81 - Kidwellite - $400
3 Oak Gap Mine, Polk Co., Arkansas
Miniature, 4.0 x 3.3 x 2.9 cm
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An exceptional specimen of this rare phosphate species with rich botryoidal growths on a display-quality matrix. It is from the noted collection of Arkansasan Clyde Hardin.




T08-83 - Hessite - $900
Botes, Transylvania, Romania
Thumbnail, 3.0 x 2.7 x 1.5 cm
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Any hessite from the old 1800's-era type locale is desirable to my warped collector's mind, and for 20 years now I have tried to buy every one that turns up in older collections which I can afford to stash. The problem is, not so many turn up. And most are very expensive. This, however, is a rich thumbnail with a matrix association so it is displayable, and the price isn't bad at all (i think) for a good reference specimen of this very rare silver telluride species.




T08-84 - Effenbergerite - $450
Wessels Mine, Hotazel, Kalahari manganese fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
Thumbnail, 2.2 x 1.8 x 1.2 cm
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Any Effenbergerite is a good Effenbergerite, considering how rare this species is, and how few specimens ever come to market. This is small, but it hasseveral spots of eye-visible Effenbergerite crystallization upon it and should be considered significant enough to add to any rarities suite. TYPE LOCALITY and as far as i can see on MINDAT, the ONLY locality for this species.




T08-85 - Schneiderhφhnite - $7500
Tsumeb, Namibia
Thumbnail, 2.3 x 1.1 x 1.0 cm
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A MAJOR Tsumeb rarity, Schneiderhφhnite is usually seen for sale as little 2-5mm crystals on ugly ore matrix. However, there was one pocket (in the 1970s?), which produced these huge crystals and set the standard for the species for all time to come, and this is the largest single crysatl of that find that I have seen for sale. Several well-known specimens from the Zinn, Barlow, and other Tsumeb collections I have handled pale in comparison to this relative monster. It is , simply, a world class thumbnail and both for species and aesthetics. Similar world class Tsumeb thumbnails from the Minette collection recently set world records for pricing in the high five figures, and so in comparison this is probably a good value by what such things go for in today's marketplace. TYPE LOCALITY and the only locality for superb larger crystals of this species. A bit of matrix is attached with other microcrystallized mineralization, possibly other species. Lastly, I should point out that this crystal is complete ALL around, 360 degrees.




T08-87 - Nadorite - $1250
Djebel Nador, Constantine, Algeria
Miniature, 4.1 x 3.8 x 3.2 cm
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This is an extremely rich specimen of nadorite crystals from the type and best locality for the species, with color and metallic lustre. The crystals reach 1 cm in size and although many are broken or show portions, also there are many good crystals mixed in and the overall richness is significant. I am told that most of these were found during the French expeditionary times of the late 1800s and early 1900s, by the French colonial geological exploratory bureau BRGM (and have seen some such labels turn up on the market with nadorites , time to time, which confirms this). TYPE LOCALITY and the only locality for superb larger crystals of this species. This has been through three modern collections on its way to us, too.




T08-88 – Parisite–(Ce) on Calcite - $2150
Mina La Pita, Muzo, near Maripi, Boyaca Province, Colombia
Miniature, 5.1 x 3.6 x 2.7 cm
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This is a beautiful, colorful (unusually so!) crystal measuring 1.4 cm, ensconced in a protected vug of crystallized calcite within massive calcite. One so rarely sees parisite on crystallized matrix from any locality, and the contrast to these calcites really addds a lot, visually, to the desirability of the piece. Parisite today comes from both France and Malawi, and especially Zagi Mountain in Pakistan, in excellent crystals. But, they are all of markedly different habit from these classic, and oldest good examples of the species from Muzo. Believe it or not, Muzo was actually the type locality back in the early 1900s, in fact! Other locales known today produce gemmier or bigger examples, but for the overall combination of qualities you would want most, and for good matrix, this locality is still the most desirable. I have handled several over the years of some stature form here, and among them I find this one ranks highly. Ironically, for your money, you get a better parisite than you would an emerald from the locality, for this price!




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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com

ALL PICTURES, TEXT, DESIGN © THE ARKENSTONE 1996-