Selections from The Harold Urish Collection of Tucson, Arizona

Selections from
The Harold Urish Collection
of Tucson, Arizona

This collection was built by Harold through self-collecting and trading over 40 years since his "retirement" to Green Valley, where he kept busy field collecting and dealing with the miners and other collectors. He has long been a fixture of the Tucson tailgating community, walking the halls with flats for trading. He specialized in the Morenci Mine; and in colorful miniature-sized specimens of the minerals of the Southwest. The collection contains literally hundreds of reasonably priced miniatures of his favorites: vanadinites, wulfenites, smithsonites, azurites and malachites.

TUCSON 2008 NEWS:
OVER 500 freshly prepared specimens from the collection will be presented at TUCSON 2008
in conjunction with Arizona specialists and collectors, Les and Paula Presmyk: both in our rooms at the Westward Look Show, and at their De Natura booth at the Main Show. Most are priced to move, from $100-500. This update features some of the pricier specimens in the collection, pieces he traded for from other localities, and a teaser of the variety you will see in the Tucson inventory. US$ € EURO ¥ YEN £ POUND CAN$ AUS$
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page 1 / 4 - 48 specimens selected - next - bottom - back to the Galleries

URI-23 - Wulfenite - $ 750
San Francisco Mine, Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico
miniature, 3.5 x 2.6 x 2.2 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Wulfenite from San Francisco Mine, Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-23a.jpg]

Wulfenite from San Francisco Mine, Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-23a.jpg]

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Wulfenite from San Francisco Mine, Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-23b.jpg]

Wulfenite from San Francisco Mine, Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-23b.jpg]

This is a rare matrix cluster of exquisite, gemmy, orange wulfenite crystals to 1.3 cm across. There is very minimal visible damage of no significance it is so miniscule; and I believe that this specimen is competition quality. It is a superb example for overall form and display, but also for the intense top-level orange color you see. Minor association with red-orange mimetite adds a bit of contrast! Canot be shipped, sorry to say, with total safety. Hand delivery must be arranged, but then again that is why the price is so low, too...

URI-11 - Malachite with Cerussite, Pyromorphite - $ 950
Brown's Deposit, Rum Jungle, Northern Territory, Australia
cabinet, 10.5 x 5.7 x 4.3 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Multihued green, spherical malachite, to 1.5 cm across is accented with a few crystals of colorless, adamantine, cerussite. Good specimens from this deposit are becoming scarce in the mineral market place. This is a very classic Aussie locality, and large pieces in any quality are hard to come by. Harold traded for this in the 1980s , with self-collected Arizona material. Comes with custom lucite base for easy display.

URI-07 - Quartz on Quartz and Siderite - $ 950
Morro Velho Gold Mine, Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil
cabinet, 13.1 x 7.6 x 3.5 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Quartz on Quartz and Siderite from Morro Velho Gold Mine, Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil [db_pics/pics/uri-07a.jpg]

Quartz on Quartz and Siderite from Morro Velho Gold Mine, Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil [db_pics/pics/uri-07a.jpg]

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Quartz on Quartz and Siderite from Morro Velho Gold Mine, Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil [db_pics/pics/uri-07b.jpg]

Quartz on Quartz and Siderite from Morro Velho Gold Mine, Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil [db_pics/pics/uri-07b.jpg]

A cluster of gemmy, parallel-growth, colorless quartz crystals to 7.0 cm in length has grown on a matrix of smaller quartz crystals. Covering the matrix are bladed crystals of translucent, rosy-brown, siderite to .75 cm across. Nice color contrast and unusual overall for this locality! It is fully terminated, and a thin hematite crystal is included in the back , visible in looking through the crystal tip on the right. It is just a darned good Brazilian quartz, by any standard...how often do you see upright clear quartz crystals of this size perched up on any matrix other than more quartz!? Complete all around the front and sides, contacted only on the back. This piece is particularly significant for the locality. Comes with custom lucite base for display.

URI-22 - Molybdenite in Quartz - $ 750
Cleator, Yavapai Co., Arizona, USA
miniature, 5.6 x 4.0 x 3.5 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Molybdenite in Quartz from Cleator, Yavapai Co., Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-22a.jpg]

Molybdenite in Quartz from Cleator, Yavapai Co., Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-22a.jpg]

A metallic, mirror bright, crystal of silver colored molybdenite, 3.5 cm in length, is embedded in massive, milky quartz. I believe that this is a rare occurrence....I certainly have not seen another for sale! And, it happens to be fairly good, as well. According to Arizona collector Les Presmyk, "Thirty years ago, a small quartz dike south of Cleator, Arizona was found to contain intermittent pockets of molybdenite. This is an area of the state that contains numerous quartz veins and dikes but this is the only one that contained molybdenite crystals. Typical crystals were under 1 cm so this is large for the locality. The digging was difficult and the pockets were sporadic so good specimens from this locality are uncommon. There was only one specimen in the Urish collection so this is one Harold traded for rather than collecting himself. I would think a must for those molybdenite or sulfide collectors out there!"

URI-03 - Quartz on Chrysocolla - SOLD
Ray Mine, near Kearny, Pinal County, Arizona, USA
small cabinet, 9.0 x 8.0 x 5.2 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Quartz on Chrysocolla from Ray Mine, near Kearny, Pinal County, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-03a.jpg]

Quartz on Chrysocolla from Ray Mine, near Kearny, Pinal County, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-03a.jpg]

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Quartz on Chrysocolla from Ray Mine, near Kearny, Pinal County, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-03b.jpg]

Quartz on Chrysocolla from Ray Mine, near Kearny, Pinal County, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-03b.jpg]

Very rarely do you see vugs pulled out intact here. A brecciated matrix of chrysocolla has opened into a 4.0 cm vug of hemispherical chrysocolla which has, in turn, been covered with a druse of sparkling quartz. The color of the chrysocolla is a magnificent deep, sky-blue. Mesmerizing, and MUCH more sparkly and saturated, in person!!

URI-04 - Mimetite - SOLD
Bilbao Mine, Zacatecas, Mexico
small cabinet, 7.9 x 5.8 x 3.4 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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One of the big surprises in this collection was the best specimen of this old late-1970s material that I have yet seen in mineral collecting: a mimetite from the Bilbao Mine - NOT form the much more common Ojuela or San Pedro Correlitos locales. If you look closely at the form, the lustre, you can spot the difference. The waxy, silky surface to these stands out, at their best. Also, the matrix underneath is not the typical gossan you would see at hte other two Mexican mimetite locales. This is a beautiful, 3-dimensional, aesthetic specimen in its own right - but it ALSO has strong significance for its unique locality and for the top quality it represents, from the locale. Comes with custom lucite base for display.

URI-02 - Quartz var. Amethyst - SOLD
Amatitlan, Guerrero, Mexico
cabinet, 9.9 x 5.7 x 5.6 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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This cluster of intensely colored amethyst crystals to 8.0 cm in length represents nearly the best color saturation from this deposit that you can get, in crystals which are still gemmy and transparent. Please note the characteristic colorless terminations that most fine Guerrero amethysts exhibit, dramatically showing off the amethyst cores as you see here. One of the lesser crystals to the rear of the cluster (as shown here) is damaged at the termination, however the 2 best display angles as shown in these photos clearly do not show that minor flaw (which if not there would also vault this to 4-5k in price anyhow). Otherwise, it is pristine and complete all around and one of the most overall symmetric clusters I have had. What I find most appealing here is the superb 3-dimensionality of the specimen, and yet it does not have jagged edges and contacts despite being a cluster. Such well-formed clusters, they just are hard to get. This is probably from the 1980s. Comes with custom lucite base for display.

URI-05 - Wulfenite on Descloizite - SOLD
Ahumada Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico
small cabinet, 7.7 x 5.2 x 3.0 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Wulfenite on Descloizite from Ahumada Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-05a.jpg]

Wulfenite on Descloizite from Ahumada Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-05a.jpg]

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Wulfenite on Descloizite from Ahumada Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-05b.jpg]

Wulfenite on Descloizite from Ahumada Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico [db_pics/pics/uri-05b.jpg]

A shockingly stark, contrasting specimen with UPRIGHT, ISOLATED wulfenite crystals! The waxy-lustrous, translucent, caramel colored wulfenite crystals are aesthetically arranged on matrix of descloizite upon quartz. Nature and a good trim job by a friend have together conspired to place the largest crystal, almost 2 cm across tip to tip, perfectly in the center of the specimen, giving this piece the dominant-crystal aesthetics of competition quality pieces! It is simply , starkly, one of the more beautiful examples of its size and style I have seen from the mine. Displays beautifully on a custom-made lucite base.

URI-06 - Fluorite with Quartz and Sphalerite - SOLD
Deardorf Mine, Hardin County, Illinois, USA
small cabinet, 9.6 x 8.7 x 4.4 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Perched on a siliceous matrix with splendent, orange-black sphalerite crystals, to .75 cm across, is a large crystal of gemmy, lavender fluorite. Associated in the lower-right is a matte, battleship-gray, crystal of galena, 1.5 cm across. This slightly distorted cube measures 4.5 cm in length and exhibits edge color zoning. Superb! The Deardorf Mine was one of the first really choice localities for matrix fluorite crystals for collectors, and closed prior to 1960, long before the larger and more famous mines in the district opened up. It had, therefore, much smaller production as well. Specimens are noted for their association with quartz, characteristic of this mine but really almost unheard of for the other mines in Hardin County. You can clearly see the quartz association here, and the sphalerite in fact covers a solid plate of quartz. There is no doubt of its pedigree, thus! With the rich combination of sphalerite, the piece at first look smore like an Elmwood (tennessee) specimen than an Illinois piece, but this is not the case. The galena is also not Elmwood-style. It stands on its own merit as a good matrix fluorite specimen, in any case. With the fluorite mines of southern Illinois now permanently closed, specimens of this quality are not only becoming rare they are also escalating in price. Comes with custom lucite base for display.

URI-01 - Adamite on Limonite - SOLD
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
small cabinet, 6.6 x 4.8 x 4.2 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Converging crystallization has formed several hemispherical sprays of luscious, super-bright, apple green adamite, aesthetically perched as if climbing up a hill of contrasting limonite. The clusters average 1.8 cm across. If ever a specimen could be viewed as animate, this is the one: To a friend's eyes this specimen looks like a rhino climbing a rock and I can kinda see that too! But in any case, it is simply a stunning piece with far more aesthetics and 3-dimensionality than you normally expect to find in one of these specimens. Collected mostly in the late 60s and through the 70s, good adamites are today scarce on the market and special pieces like this one, in high demand.

URI-49 - Covellite, Chalcopyrite - SOLD
Bisbee, Arizona, USA
large cabinet, 16.6 x 13.0 x 3.0 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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Covellite, Chalcopyrite from Bisbee, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-49a.jpg]

Covellite, Chalcopyrite from Bisbee, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-49a.jpg]

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Covellite, Chalcopyrite from Bisbee, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-49b.jpg]

Covellite, Chalcopyrite from Bisbee, Arizona, USA [db_pics/pics/uri-49b.jpg]

This colorful ore sample highlights the bronze chalcopyrite vein along with the iridescent purplish-blue of Covellite. I have never seen more than a speck of covellite from Bisbee before and although massive, this is pound sof it, and very pretty overall. A significant ore sample from a rare portion of the deposit, now long since mined out.

URI-12 - Mimetite - SOLD
Bilbao Mine, Zacatecas, Mexico
small cabinet, 6.5 x 4.7 x 2.2 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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A thin crust supports a carpet of golden yellow, translucent spheres of mimetite, to 1 cm across. The color is just about as good as it gets from this mine. One of the big surprises in this collection was findign two specimens of this old late-1970s material, the best for sale that I have yet seen in mineral collecting: a mimetite from the Bilbao Mine - NOT form the much more common Ojuela or San Pedro Correlitos locales. If you look closely at the form, the lustre, you can spot the difference. The waxy, silky surface to these stands out, at their best. Also, the matrix underneath is not the typical gossan you would see at hte other two Mexican mimetite locales. This is a beautiful, 3-dimensional, aesthetic specimen in its own right - but it ALSO has strong significance for its unique locality and for the top quality it represents, from the locale. This would cost the same as a San Pedro piece, but it is actually MUCH more desirable to my mind. Comes with custom lucite base for display.

URI-09 - Chalcocite - SOLD
Flambeau Mine, Ladysmith, Rusk County,Wisconsin, USA
cabinet, 11.5 x 7.2 x 6.0 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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This is a dramatically crystallized specimen of iridescent, bluish-purple chalcocite from mining in the mid-1990s here at this now reclaimed and closed-off locale. The largest crystal measures 2.5 cm across, and the whole surface is covered with sharp and colorful crystals. A large and very significant specimen from a mine that lasted from 1994-1997 and yet during that short period became world-famous for these incredible chalcocites.

URI-10 - Azurite - SOLD
Detroit Shaft, Morenci Mine, Morenci, Arizona, USA
cabinet, 9.8 x 7.8 x 6.7 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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You just could not obtain a more significant "Morenci Rose" than this one...This is a spectacular rosette of lustrous, royal blue azurite, with individual crystals reaching 5 cm across. Additionally, the specimen is a complete floater with no visible points of attachment, and among the very largest examples of this find that we have seen (and one of us, Les Presmyk, handled the majority from this find at the time). This was from December, 1997. The color, crystal size and arrangement are just superb. The condition is incredible. This is a MAJOR US azurite specimen - according to Les, "although there were numerous smaller roses from this find, specimens of this size and quality can be counted on under two hands!" Comes with custom lucite base for easy display.

URI-08a - Wulfenite - SOLD
Ahumada Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico
cabinet, 11.8 x 11.3 x 6.3 cm

ex. Harold Urish

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A contrasting white matrix is the background for a plate teeming with fine, lustrous, translucent, caramel-colored, crystals of wulfenite which reach 1.5 cm across. Most of the crystals are intergrown and the piece overall thus throws off an enormous amount of reflected light from all the angles, making the whole specimen look like a bright Christmas ornament. There is almost nil damage here. Almost all crystals are pristine. A few ha ve a minute dusting of descloizite on edges, which is a nice accent but does not detract. RARELY do you see such large plates of this old material in any condition approaching this. The piece originally was, in fact, double the size; but with damage that had to be laboriously removed by trimming it down. It is overall a superb showpiece, and significant for the size AND the visual impact together!

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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com

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