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ELBAITE TOURMALINE
Santa Rosa Mine, Itambacuri, Southeast Region, State of Minas Gerais,
Brazil
An excellent display piece, this beautiful Elbaite Tourmaline specimen
is a slightly divergent intergrowth of many prismatic, flat-top
terminated, dark blue-green to dark green crystals without matrix. View
A shows the specimen from the front where, near the base of the
specimen, its central core of cranberry red color Elbaite (Rubellite) is
revealed. View B shows the dark blue-green color of the base of each
crystal, grading upwards to dark green color at the terminations.
Bi-colored Elbaite Tourmaline crystals are given the name watermelon
Tourmaline by collectors and gemologists. The definition of watermelon
Tourmaline, in the “Dictionary of Gems and Gemology”, published by the
Gemological Institute of America (GIA), is “A term applied to
Tourmaline, the center of which is pink and the edges green”. The
individual crystals are up to 3 5/8” long. Former collection of
Lorraine Sofia.
Specimen size: 3 5/8” tall, 1 1/4” X 1” wide at the base, and 1 3/4” X
1 1/4” wide across at the termination.
Order Item MI-1604
Price: $2300.
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Pyrite – Bacino Mine, Rio Marina, Isola de Elba, Italy – Large single
crystal.
Order Item No. MI-1262
Specimen size: 2 ¼ X 1 ¾ X 1 3/4
Price: $75.
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Pyrite with Quartz – Alimon Mine, San
Jose de Hyayllay District, Cerro de Pasco Province, Pasco Dept., Peru
Order Item No. MI-1268A
Pyrite cubes to ¾” across, Quartz xls. to ¾” tall.
Specimen size: 5 ½ X 4 3/8 X 1 ¾”
Price: $225.
Order Item No. MI-1268B
B. Pyrite cubes to 5/8” and near ¾” across, needle Quartz xls. to 1”
tall
Specimen size: 5 X 4 ¼ X 1 3/8”
Price: $275 |
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Pyrite – Navajun, Logrono Region, La Rioja Province, Spain – The
largest Pyrite cube is 1 1/8” X 1 1/8”. The host rock (matrix) is marl,
which has been analyzed as more than 50% clay (type not specified in the
analysis) and at least 15% calcium carbonate, i.e., either Calcite or
Aragonite.
Order Item No. MI-1270A
Specimen size: 4 ¾ X 3 5/8 X 2 ¼”
Price: $80
Order Item No. MI-1270B
Specimen size: 3 7/8 X 2 7/8 X 2 3/8”
Price: $65 |
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Quartz – Amethyst – Anahi Mine, Santa Cruz, Bolivia – Large single
crystal.
Order Item No. MI-1269A
Specimen size: 4 ¼ X 3 X 2 ¼”
Price: $225
Order Item No. MI-1269B
Specimen size: 3 3/4 X 3 1/8 X 2 5/8”
Price: $195
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Quartz – State of Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil - Agate Geode
with drusy Quartz xls., both halves polished on the surface
Order Item No. MI-1261
Specimen size: Pair – Left side is 4 7/8 X 2 ¾ X 1 ¾”. Right side is 4
5/8 X 2 ¾ X 1 ½”
Price: $60. / pair |
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Quartz – Amethyst – State of Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil –
Several nice display specimens available, priced according to the
specimen size and size of crystals. All are sections from the interiors
of very large, geode-like formations.
Order Item No. MI-1267A
Specimen size: 4 5/8 X 2 ¼ X 1 ¼”
Price: $30.
Order Item No. MI-1267B.
Specimen size: 4 X 3 3/8 X 1 ¼”
Price: $40.
SOLD
Order Item No. MI-1267C
Specimen size: 3 ¼ X 3 ¼ X 1 ¾”
Price: $35.
SOLD
Order Item No. MI-1267D
Specimen size: 7 ¾ X 4 3/8 X 2 1/8”
Price: $90.
Order Item No. MI-1267E
Specimen size: 10 X 7 ½ X 1 ¾
Price: $150 SOLD |
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Quartz “Herkimer Diamond” – Middleville, Herkimer County, New York – Two
large, magnificent water clear xls. are in a group, no matrix.
Order Item No. MI-1272
Specimen size: 2 ½ X 1 ½ X 1”
Price: $175 |
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Quartz with Montmorillonite and Rutile inclusions – Skalistyi Mine,
Polar Urals, Russia – Large double terminated Quartz xl. with inclusions
of pale pink Montmorillonite on the right end, and hair-like golden
Rutile needles on the left end. All faces of the Quartz xl. have been
polished so the inclusions can be clearly observed. The associated
Montmorillonite might also be of interest because it is in the clay
minerals group.
Order Item No. MI-073A
Specimen size: 5 ¾ X 3 1/8 X 3”
Price: $225. |
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ELBAITE TOURMALINE, LEPIDOLITE
Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego County, California
A very nice single crystal, this specimen is from one of California’s
best known localities for Elbaite Tourmaline, recently obtained from the
collection of Lorraine Sofia of Daly City, CA. The Elbaite crystal is 2
1/8” tall, and 1 1/8” X 1” in cross section, without matrix. The
termination is intact, well defined, with a very slight contact point on
one edge. The lower portion of the crystal is accentuated by several
light lavender color clusters of crystallized Lepidolite. Most of the
Lepidolite was deposited on the front of the Elbaite crystal, with only
one Lepidolite crystal cluster on the back of the specimen. A very
interesting feature of the growth of this crystal is the natural bending
and re-healing plane exhibited as a very pale pink zone near the base of
the specimen on the left side of the photo. This feature is more
obvious on the back of the crystal. This process is described in the
“Mineralogical Record”, Vol. 8, No. 6 (California issue), P. 472,
illustrated in Fig. 18. The result is that the base of the crystal is
slightly offset from the natural inclination of the prism faces to be
parallel. Additional information on the Himalaya Mine appears in the “MR”,
Vol. 16, No. 5, (Tourmaline special issue), P. 419-424, and in Vol. 33,
No. 5, (California Pegmatites special issue), P. 390-396.
Specimen size: 2 1/8” tall, 1 1/8” X 1” in cross section. 88.40 grams
Order Item MI-1582
Price: $400. |
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Quartz – Amethyst – Artigas, Uruguay – Both specimens are sections of
large, geode-like formations. From this locality, these very special
specimens have knobby projections of matrix, protruding into the hollow
openings in the geodes, and these knobby projections are covered with
Amethyst crystals. Item B. only has small white Calcite xls.
associated.
Order Item No. MI-1278A
Specimen size: 3 ½ X 2 ½ X 2 ¼”
Price: $110.
Order Item No. MI-1278B
Specimen size: 4 ½ X 3 3/8 X 2 ½”
Price: $150. SOLD |
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ELBAITE (RUBELLITE) TOURMALINE
Cruzeiro Mine, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Two views of this specimen are presented. View A shows the front of
this sharp, multi-color, translucent pink, prismatic crystal
intergrowth. It is actually an intergrowth of two individual crystals
attached side-by-side along the prism faces, offset slightly so the
group is 1/2” wide at the base, and 5/8” wide at the center. The color
zoning of both crystals grades from pink at the base, to a light
lavender in the center, and back to pink at the top of the specimen.
View B shows the back of the crystal group, where a 1/4” non-terminated
crystal is attached near the top of the specimen. Very nice specimen,
no matrix. Former collection of Lorraine Sofia, with a Dan and Jill
Weinrich label.
Specimen size: 3 1/4” tall, up to 5/8” wide, and 1/4” thick
Order Item MI-1602
Price: $325. |
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Dolomite – Eugui, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain – Group of large translucent
/ colorless xls.
Order Item No. MI-1271
Specimen size: 1 ½ X 1 ¼ X 1 1/8”
Price: $60 |
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Corundum Var. Ruby with Zoisite Var.
Chrome Zoisite
Longido, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
Hexagonal, bright red-pink Ruby crystal section measuring 3 1/2”X 3” across,
surrounded by bright green Chrome Zoisite matrix. The thickness of the
crystal is unknown, since the back of the crystal is completely embedded in
the Chrome-Zoisite matrix.
UV fluorescence (Ruby only):
SW UV: dull, dark red
LW UV: intense, dark red
Specimen size: 5 1/4” X 4” across, X up to 2 3/8” thick
Gram weight: 1,791 grams
Order Item MI-1461
Price: $325.00 |
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MI-1429
Close up |
OPAL Var. Hyalite Opal (“Glass Opal”) Squaretop Mountain, near
Dalby, Southeast Queensland, Australia
This large display quality specimen is a section of volcanic basalt matrix
upon which has formed a profusion of colorless, globular to botryoidal
droplets and interesting formations of water clear Hyalite Opal, also known
as “Glass Opal”.
Moderate greenish-yellow fluorescence under shortwave ultraviolet. The rock
matrix along one edge of the specimen has been sawed, so it will stand
upright in proper orientation for display.
Specimen size: 15 1/2” long, and 9 1/2” wide (area of the surface of the
specimen covered by the botryoidal Hyalite Opal), X 3” to 4 1/2” thick.
Order Item: MI-1429
Price: $375. |
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Manganite
Ilfeld, Nordhausen, Harz Mountains, Thuringia, Germany
Shiny black prismatic, terminated Manganite crystals completely cover
the top-front of this specimen, from one of Europe’s best known
localities for crystallized Manganite. The matrix is solid black
Manganite with rounded, concave forms covering the base of the specimen,
as though the Manganite was deposited on top of an earlier mineral with
a botryoidal surface. No rock matrix. The largest Manganite crystal is
3/4” long (21 mm) X 1/4” wide (7 mm). From the collection of Dr. Wayne
J. A. Walton.
Specimen size: 2 3/4” X 2” across, X 1 7/8” thick
Order item MI-1438
Price: $550.00 |
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Gypsum with Malachite, Brochantite, Linarite – Blanchard Mine, Socorro
Co., New Mexico - The Gypsum is colored pale green by inclusions of
Malachite.
Order Item No. MI-1277
Specimen size: 3 ½ X 3 ¼ X 3”
Price: $35 |
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Fluorite on Sphalerite
Elmwood Mine, near Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee
A single, extra sharp, medium purple color Fluorite cube 1 3/4” X 1 1/2”
across has multiple stepped faces on each of the large cube faces. At
the base of the Fluorite cube, the matrix is composed of many intergrown,
highly lustrous, dark brown Sphalerite crystals. No rock matrix. Very
nice specimen!!!
Specimen size: 2 3/4” X 2 1/2” across, X 2” thick
Order Item MI-1440
Price: $145.00 SOLD |
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Anhydrite – Naica, Municipio de Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico –
Beautifully terminated, large single crystal, no matrix. Very minor
Pyrite is associated.
Order Item No. MI-1253
Specimen size: 3” tall, 1 ½” wide, near 3/8” thick
Price: $65 SOLD |
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Chalcocite
Bristol Copper Mine, Bristol, Hartford County, Connecticut
This specimen consists of a vein of massive
black Chalcocite up to 1 1/2” thick, intergrown with very small amounts
of white Calcite and Quartz, resting upon a matrix of what appears to be
off-white color massive Quartz and Muscovite. The entire top of the
specimen is covered with more than 25 metallic black Chalcocite
crystals, standing up on edge as well as lying down flat upon the
massive Chalcocite. The Chalcocite crystals range in size from micro,
up to 1/4”. Note that the top and parts of the sides of the specimen
have a secondary deposition of crystalline and small crystals of white
Calcite which is in natural condition, i.e., the Calcite has not been
etched. Scattered micro Quartz crystals are also present. Background
information: commercial mining began in 1837 at this historic Eastern
USA Copper mine, and was carried on until 1953. Please refer to the
“Mineralogical Record” magazine, Vol. 32, No. 5, P. 433 for additional
information on the locality. This specimen is most recently from the
collection of Dr. Wayne J. A. Walton. Dr. Walton purchased the specimen
from an estate sale in the late 1960’s. This specimen is reported to
have been collected in the late 1800’s. Several other specimens
purchased at the same time, from the same old collection, had labels
from A. E. Foote, however, the original label for this specimen did not
survive. All that remains is a small white paper tag affixed to the
back of the matrix -- specimen number 90.
Specimen size: 4 5/8” long, 2 1/4” wide (the area of the surface of the
specimen, with Chalcocite xls.), X 2” thick
Order Item MI-1448
Price: $300.00 |
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Orthoclase Var. Adularia – Val Cristallina, Medel, Grisons (Graubunden),
Switzerland – Large white twinned xl. is 3” across. The pale gray area
in the center of the main large xl. is a small group of Adularia xls.
with a slight shadow on them, protruding directly out of the front of
the large crystal. Minor pale green Chlorite is associated, and a small
amount of matrix on the back of the specimen.
Order Item No. MI-1247C
Specimen size: 3 X 2 1/8 X 1 3/8”
Price: $95 |
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Montmorillonite – Boron Mine, Boron, Kern Co., California – Pure
massive, pale pink.
Order Item No. MI-1274
Specimen size: 3 ¼ X 1 7/8 X 1 3/8”
Price: $24.50 |
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Talc with Actinolite – Wrightwood, San Bernardino Co., CA – Pale green
to light silver-gray color Talc with dark green crystalline Actinolite,
no matrix.
Order Item No. MI-1276A
Specimen size: 5 ¾ X 2 5/8 X 2 ½”
Price: $40.
Order Item No. MI-1276B
Specimen size: 7 ¼ X 4 X 2”
Price: $85 |
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Scheelite, Muscovite
Mt. Xuebaoding, Pingwu Co., Mianyang Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China
Several very sharp, translucent, orange-tan color octahedral crystals of
Scheelite are perched on top of Muscovite crystal covered matrix. Very nice
display specimen, with excellent UV fluorescence. The three largest
octahedral Scheelite crystals each measure 2” and greater.
UV fluorescence:
SW UV: bright blue-white
LW UV: light tan
Order item MI-1463
Price: $450.00 |
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OBSIDIAN, CRISTOBALITE, FAYALITE
Glass Mountain, near Coso Hot Springs, Inyo County, California
This locality has been known since the late 19th century. The
earliest report of this occurrence for Obsidian with Cristobalite inclusions
was published in a paper in the Geological Society London Quarterly
Journal by F. Rutley in 1890. Shiny black Obsidian has spheroidal
openings which have been filled with light gray Cristobalite. With
magnification of 20-30X, tiny white Cristobalite crystals can be seen lining
the openings in the spheroids of massive Cristobalite. Several tabular
crystals of brown Fayalite (+/- 1 mm size) are scattered over the insides of
the spheroids of Cristobalite. This occurrence has been “off limits” to
collecting for many years, within the boundaries of a military base.
Specimen size: 4 1/4” tall, 3 3/8” wide, and up to 1 1/2” thick
Order Item MI-1437
Price: $60.00
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Muscovite – Stak Nala, Gilgit Division, Pakistan – Large cleavage of
light smoky gray color Muscovite, no matrix or associated minerals.
Order Item No. MI-1259
Specimen size: 6 X 4 ¼” across, X approx. 5 mm thick
Price: $45 |
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Muscovite (Sericite) pseudo after (replacing) Leucite – Hamitkoy Area,
Kaman, Kirshehir, Turkey –
Slightly off-white color massive Kaolinite is replacing a small
“softball” size Leucite crystal. Fully terminated, no matrix.
Order Item No. MI-1255
Specimen size: 2 7/8 X 2 5/8 X 2 ½”
Price: $35 SOLD |
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SPODUMENE
Mawi Pegmatite, Laghman Province, Afghanistan
A true gem of a specimen, this transparent, light yellow single
crystal is excellent for display, with much of the crystal being very
gemmy, to gem quality. Three views are shown – the specimen is very
nice all around. The termination is sharp, with slightly frosted
faces. The prism faces are smooth to lightly striated, and the base
of the crystal is healed (unbroken). No matrix. Former collection of
Lorraine Sofia, originally imported into the USA by Freedom Valley
gems of Union City, CA (gem dealers and former residents of
Afghanistan).
Specimen size: 4 1/4” tall, 2 1/2” wide, 1 1/2” thick
Weight: 470.2 grams (more than 1 pound!)
Order Item MI-1603
Price: $700.
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Calcite – Tsumeb, Namibia – Group of rhombohedral xls. on matrix.
Order Item No. MI-1265
Specimen size: 3 ½ X 2 7/8 X 1 ¾”
Price: $65 |
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Calcite Var. Manganocalcite – Wessels Mine, Northern Cape Province,
South Africa – Very pale pink crystal group.
Order Item No. MI-1266
Specimen size: 3 ¼ X 2 3/8 X 1 1/8”
Price: $45 |
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ROSASITE, DOLOMITE cast after
QUARTZ
Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, NamibiaRosasite is reported to be fairly
common at Tsumeb, but when was the last time you saw a good, cabinet
size display specimen of Rosasite for
sale??? This attractive, display quality specimen has an open vug on
the front of the specimen, liked with botryoidal, crystalline white
Dolomite (View A). A later growth of many hundreds of tiny spheroids of
blue-green Rosasite almost completely covers the Dolomite. On the side
of the specimen (View B) one can see a very distinct cast formed after a
large, hexagonal Quartz crystal that, at one time, was surrounded by
white Dolomite. After the Quartz was dissolved, additional Dolomite was
deposited. The late-stage deposition of Rosasite lined the entire
inside of the cast with a profusion of tiny spheroids of blue-green
botryoidal Rosasite. Micro Cerussite twins are also present, along with
colorless micro xls. and xline Willemite. View C shows the back of the
specimen, where additional tiny spheroids of Rosasite are so thick they
almost completely cover the Dolomite. Minor Duftite is present on the
base of the specimen.
Specimen size: 4 1/2 X 3 1/4” across, X up to 3 1/4” thick
Order Item MI-1598
Price: $195.00 SOLD |
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=
Fluorescent Specimen
= Radioactive Specimen
