China!

My favorite piece from the trip, and probably one of the most beautiful examples that I have seen of the species.  Rarely is an example with such large crystals this well balanced, or so clean of damage.  Most pieces one encounters are single crystals (especially in this size range), or if there is a cluster then the crystals will be arranged in a less appealing way—either too densely packed or just having loads of peripheral damage. Now, there are three very small chips on one edge so it is not 100% perfect, but compared to the obvious and unslightly breaks and chips one usually encounters, I would consider this acceptable. 

The cluster even has a piece of matrix clinging to the side, almost perfectly balancing it visually.  The presence of any rock matrix is almost unheard of for pieces from this locality—they are usually just sitting on a mass of dense, ugly stibnite crystals, if on anything at all.  In this case the bit of rock serves less as a matrix than a visual accessory, and interestingly enough it doesn’t show any point of attachment either.

In my opinion, even the large 6 figure pieces with their huge nests of crystals, impressive as they are, lack the balance and beauty of this one.

It really is a spectacular piece-- I saw the thing once and passed because of the price, but I knew I would regret it if I did not bring it back with me.  I will also point out: it is not cheap, but my asking price is about 40% of what a “big dealer” would have marked on an inferior piece of similar size 

One of the main new finds I encountered on this trip were cassiterite specimens from the Weila Situo Silver deposit.  They varied in quality: some were densely packed, others interspersed on plates of muscovite, or light purple topaz.  The best, in my opinion, had well formed crystals with good spacing and aesthetic associations.  I purchased a large lot of this material, but this was one of my 2 favorites, for its association with muscovite, and a bluish-green fluorite crystal (the back half is cleaved).  Contact on the top, but displays perfectly from the front. 

Finding examples that didn't have a banged up display face was extremely hard—This was one of the best I saw, period.

A beautiful example of fluorite on a quartz plate.  Unlike most of the Chinese fluorite on quartz examples you see, these have not been etched out from under a layer of quartz, so the fluorites retain their original luster, and do not require oiling.  Furthermore, the matrix is actually composed of quartz crystals, not the powdery white stuff that you typically see on etched pieces, like virtually anything from De’An. Why does it matter?  I think it gives more sparkle and makes the pieces more visually appealing. 

 But I realize I started this description talking about the matrix…. The fluorite itself is a beautiful cubo-octahderon with stepped faces, the color is a vibrant purple, though interestingly enough you can see additional color concentrated in a couple phantoms within the crystal, as well as a greenish core than gives them an oddly beautiful multi-colored effect.  There is also a ridge of quartz, the remnants of a cast after fluorite or calcite that hosts a number of smaller crystals.  

As with virtually all fluorites, the color varies with lighting-- this one is best under incandescent.

This is probably my second favorite specimen from the trip.  The surface of the purplish blue fluorite is a bit altered, such that it has a whitish coating, though the overall form makes for a beautiful combination.  The large octahedron sits on a plate of muscovite and very lustrous cassiterite.  There were hardly any fluorite examples available from this location, most were beaten beyond recognition (except for the color) or present as minute crystals somewhere on a matrix. This was the best fluorite example I came across, and it is certainly an interesting combination.

Minerals from this relatively deposit were one of the interesting surprises on this trip.  This area is located in Inner Mongolia, near the more prolific Huanggang Mine.  

A fantastic example of green fluorite, growing directly over purple crystals, all on a plate of white, etched quartz.  I only saw two examples of the material, and a friend later confirmed that there had only been one small lot collected—the owner refused to break it up, and they were mostly large plates, but somehow two escaped.  This was the smaller piece—the other that I saw was a large plate, but the arrangement of the purple and green crystals, and the etching were just unslightly.

I had to pay a bit of a premium for this, the owner was a bit hesitant to sell it without the larger junky one... but I really wanted to offer it on the website—I mean, we've all seen thousands of fluorite specimens, but this is really quite unique.

A beautiful example from this new find—it features a cluster of cassiterite crystals sitting on a plate of bluish fluorite crytsals.  There is a chip on the cassiterite at the tip, though it was still one of the most striking combination pieces that I saw from the find.

A nice, saturated orange scheelite crystal siting on a muscovite matrix, accompanied by a quartz crystal and a small aquamarine near the base.  

These very uniquely blue fluorites came out about 1-2 years ago, but usually consisted of plates of somewhat smaller, densely packed crystals.  The find was long depleted and specimens mostly dispersed into collections, but I did find this one--  I think the distinctness and size of the crystal prevented it from getting sold in a lot of mediocre pieces.  With that said, I ended up paying a bit of a premium for it, but as with a number of pieces in this update, it was different and beautiful enough that I wanted to be able to offer it on the website. China is well known for its green fluorite, and to a lesser extent its purples, but blue has never been a particularly common color from its various mines.

A beautiful example of scheelite from a new find. This area is mainly known for its pale green fluorite, but I would consider this to be a significant find of the species in China, joining the discoveries Ping Wu, Yaogangxian, and Inner Mongolia.  What makes these unique is the richness of the scheelite—the plates are entirely covered with scheelite octahedrons.  I have seen larger crystals from elsewhere, but this desnsity and coverage of crystals is quite unusual for the species, from anywhere in the world.

A beautiful example of blue fluorite with scattered purpleish blue phantoming, from a recent find at the Yindu Mine, in Inner Mongolia.  The majority of specimens from this area have come from Huanggang, I have seen some pieces (most notably of pyrrhotite) from this mine over the last several years, but nowhere near the quantity of specimens that has come from Huanggang.  On this trip however, I did come across a number of these fluorites—unfortunately all were damaged.  It may sound ridiculous, but this was the one piece I found that was entirely clean— even a few that seemed to be almost perfect, upon closer inspection, turned out to have issues.   The color is a spectacular aqua blue, and I really wanted to bring examples back. Luckily I was able to find this one.... it's a bit difficult to express how annoyed I was getting by the end of the trip, when every single piece I saw kept having damage.  

Green quartz from Inner Mongolia started coming out soon after the initial discovery of specimens at the Huanggang Mine in 2010, and since then there have been numerous different habits unearthed.  I often see tiny little doubly terminated prisms that are popular with the metaphysical crowd, and I have on a few occasions come across calcite plates, pseudomorphed into green quartz.   This piece aesthetically combines the (not pseudomorphed) calcite plates with a sprinkling of doubly terminated green quartz crystals. It’s a very beautiful combination, and quite unusual…. It seems that you only ever see broken calcite/ calcite psudomorphs, or the little quartz crystals without a matrix.  This piece was fortunately preserved in a way that aesthetically combines both.

A beautiful “fluorite geode,” continuing numerous deep purple fluorites of the variety that has been marketed as “tanzanite colored.”  Although not the largest, this was my favorite piece from the group.  Most fluorite specimens, especially from China, seem to be flat plates, or clusters of crystals.  Seldom do you get this geode-like appearance, and the contrast with the white quartz combined with the small windows at the back and the luster of the fluorite, make for a particularly beautiful display.

I saw a group of these large garnet crystals from the northeastern corner of Hunan county, and this was the only complete crystal.  It is sitting on a thin bit of matrix, though is not actually broken on the back-- there are clean, sharp faces right up until it runs into the matrix. The sharpness is incredible, and it’s quite hefty.  Such good, well-formed crystals this size are really not seen very often, except perhaps in schists, but even those seem to lack the sharpness and smoothness that this crystal has, on account of growing into the surrounding mica.  It’s from a rather unusual locality, too—unfortunately I couldn’t get anything more precise than the county, but the only other thing I have ever seen from the area are the autunites. 

A nice example of fluorite on a quartz plate.  Unlike most of the Chinese fluorite on quartz examples you see, these have not been etched out from under a layer of quartz, so the matrix is actually composed of quartz crystals, not the powdery white stuff that you typically see on etched pieces ( like virtually anything from De’An) Why does it matter?  I think it gives more sparkle and makes the pieces more visually appealing.  

 But I realize I started this description talking about the matrix…. The fluorites themselves are beautiful cubo-octahderons with stepped faces, the color is a light purple, though interestingly enough you can see additional color concentrated in a couple phantoms within the crystal, as well as a greenish core than gives them an odd multi-colored effect.  

As with virtually all fluorites, the color varies with lighting-- this one is best under incandescent.

One of the interesting surprises was a major new find of cassiterite from the relatively new Weilasituo silver deposit.  This are is located in Inner Mongolia, near the more prolific Huanggang Mine.  China has 4 primary casitterite localities—1) the muscovite combinations from the the scheelite locality (Mt. Xuebaoding), 2) dark crystals from Jaingxi province, 3) the gem brown crystals from Yunnan and 4)  these new examples from Weilasituo in Inner Mongolia. 

This probably looks more impressive than it is-- there is notable peripheral damage near the top, including to the termination of the rich hand crystal.  Still, the combination of lustrous cassiterite with quartz and very sharp muscovite makes it a good example of the typical habit from this mine, though at a relatively lower price.   

If you cut it in half, you could actually have two pretty good specimens.....

Another interesting new find were these scheelite and very light green fluorite combinations, an association that I found quite unique and visually appealing.  Scheelite is not particularly well known from this area, though such combinations did come out approximately 25 years ago. 

The pieces were apparently found 3 days before I arrived in the area, so I was a bit lucky in that sense. There was only one lot available and I bought the whole thing—most of the pieces were damaged, so the purchase was basically made just to obtain the few good ones, the best of which I’m posting here  

Chinese creedite is not exactly new, but good purplish examples are quite rare, with virtually all being white or stained by iron oxide.  I came across a group of pieces with good color, and selected the best few, this is one of them.  Purple is perhaps the most sought after color for the species, with the best known examples having been found quite a while ago in Kazakhstan, Mexico (old pieces from Santa Eualia, not the mine that produces the orange wholesale stuff) and Nevada in the USA.  

A beautiful example of a well formed scheelite crystal on an iron stained muscovite matrix.  The iron staining could easily be removed to increase the contrast, but I actually liked the appearance, so I left it as is.  Considering how drastically the prices of these things have increased in the last few years, I’d say this is quite reasonable for a damage free example.

Mt. Xuebaoding is known for a few species, primarily its scheelite, aquamarine, and kesterite.  Perhaps the rarest of the “main species” however, is fluorite.  I only saw a few examples, and this is one of only two that were in good condition.  Like the most of the scheelites and aquamarines from this locality, this piece displays the typical mica association, with the main fluorite sitting on a bed of muscovite.  It lacks a bit in color, but if you know your Chinese minerals, then you understand how rare and special this is—and to find one that isn’t broken, neither the easily cleavable fluorite nor the delicate muscovite—is particularly unusual. 

I paid a bit of a premium for this, but like a few things in this update, I felt it was rare, unusual, and beautiful enough to be worth it….and I really wanted to post them on the site.  So, after much negotiation, I am able to offer this and the few others at a price that I think is reasonable, and still well below what you’d see them for on other sites…. That is, if you can even find something like this offered elsewhere.

Mt. Xuebaoding is known for a few species, primarily its scheelite, aquamarine, and kesterite.  Perhaps the rarest of the “main species” however, is fluorite.  I only saw a few examples, and this is one of only two that were undamaged.  Like the most of the scheelites and aquamarines, this piece displays the typical mica association, with the main fluorite sitting on a bed of muscovite.  It lacks a bit in color, but if you know your Chinese minerals, then you understand how rare and special this is—and to find one that isn’t broken, neither the easily cleavable fluorite nor the delicate muscovite—is particularly unusual. 

China has 4 primary casitterite localities—1) the muscovite combinations from the the scheelite locality (Mt. Xuebaoding), 2) dark crystals from Jaingxi province, 3) the new examples from Weilasituo in Inner Mongolia, and then 4) the gem brown crystals from Yunnan.  This is an exceptionally sharp twin crystal on matrix, with rather good transparency/ translucency, and to  find one on any matrix is very difficult—they are pretty much always stand-alone crystals that have unsightly contacts from where they were broken off the host rock. 

Again, the sharpness of this twin crystal is exceptional, and it’s quite transparent by the standards of the species. 

A beautiful aquamarine specimen from Mt. Xuebaoding, perhaps best known for its spectacular scheelites.

An interesting combination from recent finds at the Yindu Mine, one of the less well-known Inner Mongolian localities located a little distance from the more prolific Huanggang Mine.   This piece combines beautiful blue-green fluorite with clear purple phantoms, and hairy boulangerite crystal, all on a quartz plate. Unusual and beautiful—there were onely a few of these combos available, I selected the best two pieces. 

An interesting combination from recent finds at the Yindu Mine, one of the less well-known Inner Mongolian localities located a little distance from the more prolific Huanggang Mine.   This piece combines beautiful blue-green fluorite with hairy boulangerite crystals, some of which are included in the fluorite. Unusual and beautiful—there were onely a few of these combos available, I sleected the best two pieces. 

A beautiful “fluorite geode,” continuing numerous deep purple fluorites of the variety that has been marketed as “tanzanite colored.”    Most fluorite specimens, especially from China, seem to be flat plates, or clusters of crystals.  Seldom do you get this geode-like appearance, and the contrast with the white quartz combined with the small windows at the back and the luster of the fluorite, make for a particularly beautiful display.  The level of sparkle that comes off this piece, especially under LED lighting is quite nice as well. 

It's a bit hard to focus because of the three-dimensionality of the piece, but it really is better than the pictures show, with a much sharper, cleaner appearance.

A beautiful example of quartz on a matrix richly covered with cassiterite.  There were a few such combos that I came across, this was probably the only one that had the quartz free of damage, though the cassiterite does have some rubs.  Regardless, it's still quite an attractive and well balanced specimen, for the find.

These specimens from the relatively new Weilasituo silver deposit were on of the surprises from the trip.  This area is located in Inner Mongolia, near the more prolific Huanggang Mine.  China has 4 primary cassiterite localities—1) the muscovite combinations from the the scheelite locality (Mt. Xuebaoding), 2) dark crystals from Jaingxi province, 3) the gem brown crystals from Yunnan and 4)  these new examples from Weilasituo in Inner Mongolia.

Another interesting new find were these scheelite and light green fluorite combinations, an association that I found quite unique and visually appealing.  Scheelite is not particularly well known from this area, though such combinations did come out approximately 25 years ago. 

The pieces were apparently found 3 days before I arrived in the area, so I was a bit lucky in that sense. There was only one lot available and I bought the whole thing—most of the pieces were damaged, so the purchase was basically made just to obtain the few good ones, the best of which I’m posting here  

Another interesting new find were these scheelite and light green fluorite combinations, an association that I found quite unique and visually appealing.  Scheelite is not particularly well known from this area, though such combinations did come out approximately 25 years ago.  

The pieces were apparently found 3 days before I arrived in the area, so I was a bit lucky in that sense. There was only one lot available and I bought the whole thing—most of the pieces were damaged, so the purchase was basically made just to obtain the few good ones, the best of which I’m posting here  

A beautiful “fluorite geode,” continuing numerous deep purple fluorites of the variety that has been marketed as “tanzanite colored.”    Most fluorite specimens, especially from China, seem to be flat plates, or clusters of crystals.  Seldom do you get this geode-like appearance, and the contrast with the white quartz combined with the small windows at the back and the luster of the fluorite, make for a particularly beautiful display.  The level of sparkle that comes off this piece, especially under LED lighting is quite nice as well. 

It's a bit hard to focus because of the three-dimensionality of the piece, but it really is better than the pictures show, with a much sharper, cleaner appearance.