weight = 1/3 kilo or 11 troy ounces This important gold specimen is one of those real rarities you couldn't dream of making better if you could cast the darned thing. The COLOR is phenomenal - unusually pure and golden without the slight darkness that some large golds from this mine can possess. It features a truly arborescent cluster of upright gold crystals, very elegant in form, perched atop quartz matrix. It is not repaired or molded in any way. This is 100% natural! Specimens of this size and quality are VERY , VERY RARE. This particular piece was sold over 25 years ago and has resided in a private collection overseas ever since...and I can tell you that such specimens were then and certainly are now extremely uncommon on the market (i know of just a few of this magnitude). This beast weighs in at 336 grams or 1/3 kilo, which is equal to about 12 ounces or about 11 troy ounces (gold standard weight).

This stunning, unrepaired tourmaline specimen is one of the finest I know of in its size class and style, a greencapped habit which is at the least absolutely classic for this region, perhaps even the most stereotypic form of tourmaline for this region. The crystal is translucent and colorful, glowing with an internal color even with only minimal backlighting. Except for the tiniest of trivial dings, it is for all effects pristine - which is remarkable for a crystal so exposed form matrix. The combination of colors in the crystal make it a great tourmaline, but the placement and matrix arrangement make it a world class specimen overall. The contrast of the quartz form and geometry, vs. the tourmaline, and contrasted so starkly against the white cleavelandite - its just as if it were glued together in a dream. The photo used for the Westward Look show poster (2009) is by Jeff Scovil, and is the same one used in Smale's book on his collection. The other photo is a Joseph Budd photo which I had made for publicity once I obtained the specimen recently. It is a world-class level of tourmaline specimen. No question about it. The price is correspondingly high, but that is how it must be to acquire such a thing and to exchange it from the Smale collection when it fits his own taste so perfectly. This pieec was recently illustrated in teh Texas collectors book and is briefly available again as part of a potential deal.

A famous piece from early export of Russian minerals, sold in two portions that were found to fit together with a totally tight lock, though it is repaired to keep it so. Illustrated in old Min Record issue. Superb both horizontally and vertically. Totally pristine and undamaged! These crystals are razor sharp. They have intense green color, really unique in the context of all production from this area, and they have mesmerizing inclusiosn of white aragonite needles within. Overall, one of my favorite Dalnegorsk fluorites ever...well, one of my favorites, period, come to think of it. It is simply a mesmerizing piece of sculpture! I sold this in about 2007 and had the pleasure to get it back recently as that particular fluorite collection was sold (2011). During that time, it was in the noted worldwide fluorite collection of Gilles Emringer.

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!

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.

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.

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)