ORP1 Orpiment

Twin Creeks Gold Mine, Humboldt County, Nevada

8.0x 5.5x 4.1 cm

$375

A cabinet specimen, from the find made a few years back.  The crystals are not perfectly gemmy, as in the next specimen, but it is a very large and showy cabinet specimen, with a starburst of crystals.

These were recovered from the Twin Creeks Mine by the Collector's Edge, while regular mining operations were underway, as the cost of halting excavation was too high to pause for specimen extraction.

ORP2 Orpiment

Twin Creeks Gold Mine, Humboldt County, Nevada

6.2x 4.2x 2.8 cm

$325

A small cabinet specimen of bright, lustrous orpiment from the find made a couple years back.  This is some of the best orpiment to ever be found in the United States.

BEN2 Benitoite

Benitoite Mine, San Benito Co., California, United States

15.0x 8.5x 5.3 cm

$365

A large cabinet specimen, with a few doubly terminated benitoite crystals to 2 cm on edge, quite large for the species.  One of the smaller crystals has damage, however the others (including the largest) are damage free.  This mine is now closed.

DAN1 Fluorite

De’An Mine, Jiangxi Province, China

10.6x 9.7x 3.2 cm

$365

A cabinet specimen from the find made a couple years back.  These fluorites initially made quite a splash on the market, and continued to come out in quantity, but they are no longer being found.

As the bottom right image shows, when back lit, green cores can be seen surrounded by purple edges. 

FLC2 Fluorite, Quartz

De’An Mine, Jiangxi Province, China

4.2x 3.8x 2.7 cm

$55

A very beautiful, flower-like specimen.  There is a transparent green fluorite crystal, with purple phantoms perched near the center of a hemisphere of quartz crystals.  A very attractive miniature, that almost looks like a piece of jewelry. 

A gemmy,  2.4 cm purple fluorite crystal perched on the edge of its matrix, from the prolific Yaogangxian mine.  

BCA5 Calcite

Sichuan Prov., China

10.6x 10.5x 8.2 cm

$225

A cabinet specimen of large, undamaged calcite crystals to 8.4cm across, on matrix.  This is from a small new find, and this was the best such specimen that I saw in the possession of any Chinese dealers at the show.

MK1 Mimetite

Pingtouling Mine, Bapu, Guangdong Province, China
2.5x 2.4x 1.5 cm

$265

An exceptionally large mimetite crystal from the major find of 2002 .  Since the initial find, these mimetites  have all but disappeared form the market, and the larger crystals, which were only found over a very short interval, are especially desirable.  This locality was featured in the January-February issue of the Mineralogical Record.

The crystal displays a skeletal growth pattern on the reverse.

MK2 Mimetite

Pingtouling Mine, Bapu, Guangdong Province, China
2.2x 2.1x 1.2 cm

$200

An exceptionally large mimetite crystal from the major find of 2002 .  Since the initial find, these mimetites  have all but disappeared form the market, and the larger crystals, which were only found over a very short interval, are especially desirable.  This locality was featured in the January-February issue of the Mineralogical Record.

The crystal displays a skeletal growth pattern on the reverse.

STC1 Sturmanite

N'Chwanning Mine, Kuruman, South Africa
2.7x 2.3x 2.2 cm

$100

A cluster of lemon yellow strurmanite crystals from the manganese fields of South Africa.  This specimen is from an older collection, and larger crystals such as these have not been found in some time.

LEI1 Leiteite

Tsumeb Mine,Otjikoto Region, Namibia
To 1.2 cm

$80

Two cleavage fragments of leiteite from the only mine in the world that produced the species.

AMT9 Quartz var. Amethyst

Las Vigas Mine, Veracruz, Mexico
7.6x 6.4x 6.0 cm

$165

A very beautiful miniature specimen, with multiple amethyst crystals, showing good color  A couple of the crystals are missing terminations, but this hardly impacts the display, as demonstrated by the photographs.  For more information on this locality, see the November-December 2003 issue of the Mineralogical Record.

AMT8 Quartz var. Amethyst

Las Vigas Mine, Veracruz, Mexico
8.4x 5.9x 3.1 cm

$78

A very beautiful miniature specimen hosting multiple terminated amethyst crystals, and small quantities of nicely contrasting epidote.  For more information on this locality, see the November-December 2003 issue of the Mineralogical Record.

AMT7 Quartz var. Amethyst

Las Vigas Mine, Veracruz, Mexico
6.8x 6.2x 2.3 cm

$75

A very beautiful miniature specimen, with multiple sharp and terminated amethyst crystals on  matrix.  For more information on this locality, see the November-December 2003 issue of the Mineralogical Record.

This specimen has a cluster of pseuomorphed pyrrhotite crystals resting on the edge of a thin plate of quartz crystals.  The pyrrhotites have been replaced by pyrite, which is visible as hundreds of tiny cubic crystals that have retained the overall form of the pyrrhotite.

DCAL12- Calcite
Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russian Far East, Russia
6.3x 3.4x 2.3 cm
$60

Another Dal'Negorsk calcite, this one a poker chip-like stack of crystals.

After seeing specimens like this one, the above and a number of other variants, I contemplated starting a Dal'Negorsk calcite collection--but I think I had better put that off for now.

These crystals have since ceased to be found.

ZIR1- Zircon
Belafa, Amboasary Dept., Tulear Prov., Madagascar
3.0x 2.7x 1.8 cm
$78

A perfect, doubly terminated zircon from Madagascar.  This specimen was found at least 30 years ago, and is from an unusual locality.

ZIR2- Zircon
Belafa, Amboasary Dept., Tulear Prov., Madagascar
4.9x 2.3x 1.5 cm
$150

An elongated, doubly terminated zircon from Madagascar.  This specimen is at least 30 years old, and is from an unusual locality.

BET01- Betafite
Silver Crater Mine, Bancroft, Ontario, Canada
2.2x 1.8x 1.7 cm
$78

A cluster of exceptionally sharp betafite crystals, from a classic locality for the species.

SBAS1- Stibarsen
Pribram, Bohemia, Czech Republic
5.9x 5.2x 3.2 cm
$68

A rare specimen of stibarsen from a classic European locality. 

LUD3- Ludlamite
Huanuni mine, Huanuni, Dalence Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia
2.2x 2.0x 1.0 cm.

$65

A cluster of doubly terminated ludlamites perched on the edge of a pyrite/siderite matrix.  Ludlamite has not been found at the Huanuni mine for some time now, and as such they have become less common on the market.

DAF98- Afghanite

Sar-e-Sang, Badakhshan, Afghanistan

4.6x 2.1x 1.4 cm

$88

A nice little afghanite on matrix, from the type locality.  It is quite sharp for the species, and has a good termination. 

So much of the topaz available today is either form Utah, Mexico, or Pakistan--but here is one from the classic Russian locality at Sherlova Gora, where mining began in 1723. 

It consists of one larger, terminated crystal with numerous other (also terminated) crystals around its base.

Newberyite

Skipton Caves, Mt. Widderin, Skipton, Victoria, Australia 

3.0x 2.5x 1.0 cm

$68

A difficult to obtain thumbnail of of this rare mineral, showing exceptional crystal form.  This specimen is from the type locality.

At the Skipton caves, newberyite forms from the phosphate rich solutions that leach though bat guano (there is no guano on it, I promise.)  This mineral can also be found in kidney stones.  

I just thought I'd mention that...