|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
TUC09-X9 WULFENITE - $60,000 Ahumada Mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico LARGE CABINET, 16.8 x 15.0 x 10.5 cm
This large wulfenite specimen was mined, probably, in theheyday here of the 1950s-1960s. It is stunning, simply a wall of color and lustre, staring back at you. I have handled MANY wulfenites from this location, including a few large pieces and others priced int his range. For sheer color impact and solidity, this specimen is up there among the most impressive. It features crystals of TOP QUALITY for this location both in terms of caramel-like surface lustre, and in terms of an intense orange color. The crystals measure to 2 cm. There must be 100 of them, and only a few have tiny, totally irrelevant dings. The piece is almost pristine even on the periphery, which I find shocking given how long ago they were mined, how soft the mineral is, and how poorly many were handled in the early days before they were understood to have high value to the nascent mineral specimen market. Comes with custom lucite base for display.
TUC09-X6 GOLD - $14000 Eagles Nest Mine, Placer County, California ex. Karl Warning Collection SMALL CABINET, 7.3 x 6.25 x 1.25 cm
This specimen has long belonged to a friend and collector here in Dallas, Karl Warning, and I always admired it. I think it looks like a burning bush, and is extremely elegant and fantastical in form, very sculptural and quite large in surface impact overall yet without the mass of many large golds. Recently, he exchanged it to me and now it is being offered for the first time in over a decade. It stands dramatically on a custom lucite base, and is viewed equally well from either side. The patina is naturally complex, a gradient with multicolored yellow hues showing this was either freestanding in a pocket or simply physically removed from the surrounding quartz, and not acid-etched (a most common method until recent years, and which destroys such subtle ancient patinas as you have preserved here). I feel quite strongly that the price is fair, and I am just selling it for the exchange price to make a deal work...though on other shelves, and in another economy, this could be a good deal at near twice the price. To find a truly outstanding gold with so much display impact, and size, displayable as well as this one and for low five figure numbers, is not easy. I say that from the perspective of being a dealer often asked to find a gold around that has this impact and doesn't break the bank. It isn't easy!
TUC09-X4 GOLD - $17,500 (SOLD) Farncomb Hill, Breckinridge, Colorado SMALL CABINET, 6.5 x 5 x 3.5 cm
A hefty, 102-gram crystallized cluster of unusually robust gold crystals for the Breckenridge mining district. These are generally historic specimens, with most having been found prior to 1900. However, some have trickled out over the years to intrepid diggers. No way to say when this one came out, in other words, but it likely is an older specimen. Note the unusual, elongated "leaves" to this specimen. It is quite obviously from Breckenridge but the style is just more robust than most. It is certainly an attractive piece, and for the size and display, you cannot go wrong with this as your Breck gold in a collection of US classics or gold specimens.
TUC09-X1 - AQUAMARINE on ALBITE - $P.O.R. (SOLD) Haramosh Mountains, Northern Areas, Pakistan ex. Marc Weill collection (illust. in Mineralogical Record supplement, Jan-Feb 2008) (illust. COVER OF ROCK & GEM,May 2009) LARGE CABINET, 18.3 x 12 x 12 cm
So many aquas occur on boring ol' rock matrix...to get them to stick on crystallized matrix, and standing upright, has always been a challenge for Mother Nature. This stunning, unrepaired aquamarine specimen is one of the finest in its size class and style, in my own opinion. It is not just a "big flashy aqua" with size and color...its got a unique 3-dimensionality to it, that stands out even in a small crowd at the top of the big-$$$, aquamarine matrix specimen pecking order. The piece is dramatic, for the way the starkly contrasting crystallized albite matrix serves as host to a literal spray of crystals. Amazingly, it is NOT repaired. There are 2 little dings atop, but they are trivial. And, no repairs! This is almost unheard of for such a large, exposed, aquamarine matrix specimen. Each crystal has a slightly different modification on the termination, so all are distinct, in a small way, in style. All are very blue and gemmy, with internal phantoms of medium opacity running up halfway through the 3 larger crystals. This is a characteristic of a famous pocket found in late 2005 and brought to market in 2006, a pocket that I think will stand the test of time for its uniqueness in three factors: crystal quality and color; the unusual internal phantoms; matrix aesthetics; and the fact that the albite matrix is crystallized nicely. I acquired the specimen by exchange recently, from the Marc Weill collection. (as illust. in the Mineralogical Record supplement issue, Jan-Feb 2008). This is an Iconic mineral specimen in every sense, memorable among a huge crowd of good things on the market, and should become one of the key pieces in a collection. Note that the 3 photos in my hand show the true color under "normal" lighting. Comes with custom lucite base.
TUC09-X2 GOLD - $37,500 (SOLD) Eagles Nest Mine, Placer County, California ex. Martin Zinn Collection Illustrated, front cover of LAPIS-GOLD book SMALL CABINET, 5.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm
This was the cover piece for the 2003 special book on Gold, published by Lapis Intl. It was also thecover piece for the special gold issue of the more generalist lapidary hobby's most widely circulated magazine, Rock & Gem. The piece is on the one hand just a small gold from the Eagle's Nest, sure. However, if you saw it in person, you would say "HOLY S*&T, THATS CRAZY LUSTRE!" and seriously doubt it is from Eagle's Nest. Frankly, I did doubt it, and went back to Marty to reconfirm. The piece has the sickest, wettest, most vivid, brilliant metallic lustre you can ever imagine on a gold. It looks fake. Certainly, from a mine not known for being in the top percentiles in gold lustre compared to Mockingbird and Colorado Quartz Mine material (although there are many very nice golds from here, don't get me wrong), this is an astonishing specimen. It seems small, but its presence is really rathre impressive on a shelf. Comes with custom base. If you were to ask around certain circles about the "Cover Gold," many people would know you mean this superb miniature which was in the Marty Zinn collection until he sold in 2005. It then disappeared for a few years and I was shocked to see it come back on the market, just before the show, via an exchange with a collector who had stashed it away til now.
TUC09-X3 TANZANITE - $P.O.R. (SOLD) Merelani Mines, Arusha, Tanzania SMALL CABINET, 9 x 6 x 4 cm
Rarely do you find pristine gem tanzanite crystals, in this size, with such sharpness to them. High lustre is common enough, but the glassy finish, the top reflective lustre as you see here (note there are no areas where it does not reflect, showing a more matte surface), is uncommon. More rare is to find such crystals with a high gem value content AND naturally intense colors on all 3 axes, without being heat treated first. More rare yet - well, try finding TWO such fine crystals, each pristine, similar in size, and both with the top color intensity on all 3 axes - and stick them together. This shockingly 3-dimensional cluster is just such a beast: a cluster of two of the finest intense-colored natural tanzanite crystals I have seen. They are joined in such a manner as to maximize the 3-dimensional geometry of the specimen, spacing the crystal masses from each other to give the piece a maximal presence. Note in the side-by-side photo how the relational geometry between the two crystals is so dramatic in each axis, that the photos, shown alone, actually LOOK LIKE THEY ARE OF DIFFERENT SPECIMENS. This is an Iconic mineral specimen in every sense, memorable among a huge crowd of good things on the market, and should becaome one of the key pieces in a collection. PHOTOS BY JOSEPH BUDD. Comes with custom base for display. Illustrated, Rocks & Minerals article on dichroic minerals
TUC09-X5 TOURMALINE on QUARTZ - $14,500 (SOLD) Jonas Mine, Itataia, Minas Berais, Brazil SMALL CABINET, 7 x 6 x 2 cm
This is the so-called "Cupid's Heart" crystal. nicknamed this down in Brazil many years ago. I had heard of the piece, but not seen it, til recently. It features a quartz that superficially LOOKS like a Japan law twin, although is off by a few degrees and so is rather just a heart-shaped, tabular quartz of unusual form. The gem rubellite perched in the middle of the quartz is about 3 cm, and utterly transparent and gemmy. It is as high a quality Jonas piece as you can ask for. The overall aspect of the piece is simply striking. PHOTO BY JOSEPH BUDD.
TUC09-X7 BOURNONITE "cruciform twin" on Quartz - $12,500 (SOLD) Herodsfoot Mine, Cornwall, England ex. Richard Kosnar collection Miniature, 5 x 4.5 x 4.5 cm
I had never before seen, in person, a Cruciform twinned bournonite. However, I had read about them occuring in the mid 1800s at this classic mine for the species, long known as the world's finest source of bournonite. This was purchased in the 1980s and stashed away in Richard Kosnar's collection along with a small suite of other fine English minerals. This is a superb miniature. It is hard to imagine, for overall aesthetics and uniqueness, a more interesting English bournonite in this size range. It is pricey as heck, no doubt. But I am told only a few of these exist and this is complete all around 360 degrees, pristine, and meets any modern standard that you can hold an antique piece up to challenge - such are rare enough.
All Content and Design ©1996-2010 The ArkenstoneBy-species Galleries |
