IJP1 Pyromorphite,

Heilige Dreifaltigkeit Mine, Zschopau, Erzgebirge, Sachsen, Germany

4.5x 2.5x 1.3 cm

$1250

I am not in the habit of  posting thousand-dollar miniatures, but this one is worth every penny of it.  It contains several elongated pyromorphite crystals, standing freely above their matrix, and all terminated.  Not only is this very aesthetic, but very unusual for the locality, as most other either lack terminations, or have the crystals lying flat against their matrix.   Specimens like this just do not come up for sale anymore--and while not the largest, it is certainly the finest that I have seen for sale from Zchopau.

I had this one shipped to me directly from Germany.

IJP2 Pyromorphite

Rosenberg Mine, Bad Ems, Rhineland-Palatineate, Germany

5.7x 2.2x 2.1 cm

$460

Here is an exceptional, well balanced piece from Bad Ems.  It hosts numerous terminated crystals that reach just over 1 cm. 

This habit occasionally makes it to the market, but rarely in this size.  More often, you see single crystals, off matrix.  All in all, it is another killer specimen that would enhance any pyro suite. 

IJP3 Pyromorphite,

Merkur Mine, Bad Ems, Hesse, Germany

3.8x 2.6x 1.8 cm

$950

Here is one of the HOLY GRAILS of pyromorphite collecting-- a specimen from the Merkur Mine, known for producing fat, slightly curved ,barrel shaped crystals with an olive color and frequent intergrowth. 

The crystals are double terminated (the back side has the second terminations) and reach 1.8 cm.   As with others on this page, this is an example of a German pyromorphite that rarely makes it to the market--I've only seen 3 or 4 in the last several years, all in the low to mid 4 figures, with one exception, priced the same as this one and less than half the size.

It is best when displayed vertically, but the pictures show it in a horizontal position.

IJP4 Pyromorphite

Rosenberg Mine, Bad Ems, Nassau, Germany

4.5x 3.2x 2.0cm

$565

Along with the previous specimen, I consider this to be the second Holy Grail of pyromorphite-- A deep green specimen from Grube Rosenberg.  This specimen has crystals to 1 cm, and boasts the best color from to come from the area--the most desirable deep green.  These pieces came out during the 1800's, and are almost impossible to find in any quality today (I've only seen 3, including this one, in the past few years).  Specimens of this size are especially rare--and while not damage free (that's why this thing doesn't cost 4k), it is a rare piece from a bygone era.   

IJP5 Pyromorphite

Rosenberg mine, Bad Ems, Nassau, Germany

7.3x 6.3x 2.9cm

$400

A rich cabinet specimen in the typical brown color, from a classic German locality.  This specimen was purchased from Jack Crowley, and was at one time in the possession of the Arkenstone (but it only has the Crowly label).  This is the most common pyromorphite habit from Ems, but such large pieces are rare.  Saw marks on the reverse

IJP6 Pyromorphite

Beim Stollen Mine, Tanzfleck, Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate), Bavaria, Germany

5.0x 3.5x 5.0 cm

$350

A rich, bright green pyromorphite from a hard-to-find German locality.  This is one of the better pieces that I have seen from Tanzfleck-- most are large plates with many microcrystals.  This one has a display face completely covered with zoned, terminated and double terminated crystals that can be individually distinguished.  More importantly, the color is right up there with Daoping--it is much more vibrant than anything that Bad Ems ever produced.

Beim Stollen was an ancient lead mine that was finally abandoned in 1954.  It is also near a U.S. military training area, and as such no collecting has been allowed for the past couple decades.

IJP7 Pyromorphite,

Heilige Dreifaltigkeit Mine, Zschopau, Erzgebirge, Sachsen, Germany

4.6x 3.6x 3.3 cm

$285

Specimens from Zschopau are rare.  Occasionally a piece comes up for sale with the more typical elongated, yellow-green crystals, seldom terminated and almost always flat against the matrix.  This one is different though.  It boats a rich green color, and is the only such specimen I have seen from the mine.  It was purchased from a German collector, and is probably very old.

IJP8 Pyromorphite,

Wasserfall Quarry, Velbert, Neiderberg Area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

3.9x 2.6x 2.5 cm

$75

An interesting locality piece from Germany, that you are not likely to see for sale again.  There is now a highway where the Wasserfall quarry was once located.

IJP9 Pyromorphite,

Schauinsland, Southern Black Forest, Germany

9.3x 4.0x 2.4 cm

$145

Here is a large cabinet specimen with a druze of green pyromorphites, from a classic Black Forest locality.  Such pieces are getting harder and harder to find.

IJP10 Pyromorphite,

San Andres Mine, near Villaviciosa, Cordoba, Spain

3.3x 3.0x 1.8 cm

$135

A nice "toenail" specimen from the 1997 find at the San Andres Mine, Cordoba, Spain.  This specimen has distinct prisms of pyromorphite-- more often than not these pyros tend to have a melted appearance.

Believe it or not, good specimens from the San Andres mine are harder to find than Les Farges pieces.  It probably has something to do with the fact that these only came out for a year or two, during the final period of mining at San Andres.

IJP11 Pyromorphite

Mina Resuperferrolitica, Santa Eufemia, Cordoba, Spain

4.8x 3.5x 3.5 cm

$235

An excellent specimen from the ancient workings at Santa Eufemia.  While these specimens are often considered second to those from San Andres and Horcajo,  the brown pyromorphites from this locality are known for their excellent crystallization and compound crystals.  This one stood out because of its columnar appearance, and the large compound crystals perched atop it. This is a prime example from the mine, and a good addition to any pyromorphite suite. 

IJP89 Pyromorphite

Mina Resuperferrolitica, Santa Eufemia, Cordoba, Spain

6.4x 4.3x 3.3 cm

$265

An excellent cabinet specimen from the ancient workings at Santa Eufemia.  It hosts numerous large crystals, even a few small compound ones.  Very rich, and much better than the average specimen from here.

IJP12 Pyromorphite,

Asprieres, France

7.1x 4.0x 2.0 cm

$450

A cabinet specimen that I purchased from a French field collector.  It consists of a layer of almost botryoidal pyromorphite covering  its matrix, and grades from yellow on one side, to green.  There are also many small secondary crystals that have grown over the initial layer--you can see them in the close-ups. 

This is a very unusual pyro-- it certainly stands out among other Asprieres pieces. In fact, it is the only such specimen I have ever seen. 

IJP90 Pyromorphite,

Asprieres, France

6.0x 3.1x 1.9 cm

$185

A small cabinet specimen from a locality known for its campylite-ish pyromorphites.  An unusual piece, from an unusual locality. 

IJP13 Pyromorphite,

Chaillac, Asprieres, France

9.5x 6.1x 4.4 cm

$175

A large cabinet specimen with what looks like a jackstraw druse of pyromorphite.  Some of the terminations are missing, but the color is exceptional. 

IJP14 Pyromorphite,

St. Salvy, Tarn, Rhône-Alps, France

7.8x 4.4x 2.4 cm

$400

A very rich specimen from this locality.  It is a cabinet specimen, almost 8 cm in length, with a display face that is richly covered with bright, acicular pyromorphite.  This is much better than the average St. Salvy piece, as anyone familiar the locailty knows.  Comes with an old Hawthornden (Canada) label.

IJP15 Pyromorphite,

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

5.9x 2.9x 1.5 cm

$195

Not the prettiest piece, but very unusual for Les Farges.   on one side there are prismatic crystals, and on the other there is a botryoidal habit.  

IJP16 Pyromorphite

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

8.4x 5.1x 3.8 cm

$400

Here is a very interesting cabinet Les Farges pyromorphite.  Rather than the usual barite, this one has a matrix of smoky quartz crystals, some displaying hoppered faces.  There are more crystals on  the bottom, but many are incomplete, and it is best displayed from the angle shown to the right.  There is a little damage to the display face, but when was the last time you saw a Les farges Piece like this one?

IJP17 Pyromorphite,

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

5.6x 3.3x 2.3 cm

$225

A very beautiful Les Farges pyro, with numerous arborescent crystals arranged on a scrap of matrix.  This piece is actually much more vibrant in person.  The flatter green areas are really just reflection. 

IJP18 Pyromorphite,

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

4.6x 4.0x 2.3 cm

$200

Another deep green Les Farges pyro, similar to the above.  The color is of course more vibrant than the pictures show-- the typical dark Les Farges green.  It reminds me of a small conifer. 

IJP19 Pyromorphite,

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

5.7x 5.0x 2.5 cm

$365

Another deep green Les Farges pyro, similar to the above, only larger.

IJP20 Pyromorphite,

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

5.1x 3.1x 2.4 cm

$185

Another green pyromorphite from Les Farges, but displaying a different habit.   The color is deeper than the pictures show--this thing was hard to photograph.

IJP21 Pyromorphite,

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

2.6x 2.4x 1.6 cm

$85

A nice ball-shaped cluster of pyromorphite , with a tiny second generation of bright green crystals visible on the terminations of the first generation. 

I purchased this specimen from a French collector, who said that it came from a slightly older collection.  The included label says "St. Prie" but I cannot find any other references to any such place.  I *think* it is from Les Farges--the form, color, and age of the collection from which it came all point in that direction.  There is one ding on the top left.

IJP22 Pyromorphite,

Les Farges, Ussel, Correze, France

4.0x 3.0x 2.7 cm

$285

A cluster of brown pyromorphite crystals, with yellow terminations.  The largest aggregates reach 2.75 cm in length.

IJP23 Pyromorphite

Bwlch Glas Mine, Talybont, Ceulanymaesmawr, Ceredigion (Dyfed; Cardiganshire), Wales, UK

12.0x 8.4x 4.1 cm

$375

A very beautiful cabinet specimen of Welsh pyromorphite.  While not terribly rare, specimens from this mine  are uncommon--especially in this quality.

It consists of several ball like clusters of pyromorphite nearly centered on a matrix of small, white quartz crystals.  Quite simply, its one of the best pieces I've seen from Bwlch Glas, both in terms of balance, as well as aesthetics. 

IJP24 Pyromorphite

Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom

9.4x 4.4x 3.7 cm

$265

A cabinet specimen richly covered in bright green pyromorphite from the classic Caldbeck Fells area.  Judging from the partial label glued to the reverse, I would guess it is quite old, too.  Under recent legislation, collecting is no longer allowed at this commons.  The price has been significantly lowered, as the crystals appear to have formed in a fissure, meaning that many lack terminations.

IJP25 Pyromorphite

Cystanog Mine, Vale of Towy, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire (Dyfed), Wales, United Kingdom

5.1x 4.2x 2.5 cm

$85

When was the last time you saw a specimen from this old Welsh locality?  Most are held in the collections of field collectors, and practically never come up for sale.

IJP26 Pyromorphite

Burgham Mine, Neare Shelve, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom

8.0x 3.0x 3.0 cm

$38

A cabinet specimen with a druze of green pyromorphites set against a  nicely contrasting matrix.

IJP27 Pyromorphite

Burgham Mine, Neare Shelve, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom

4.4x 3.3x 1.5 cm

$85

Like the previous specimen, but smaller.  Nothing too special, but it seemed to have a little more three-dimensionality than other pieces from the locality.  Ex. Clyde Hardin collection.

IJP28 Pyromorphite

Hardrigg Edge Mine, Melmerby, Cumbria, England, UNited Kingdom

7.6x 4.3x 4.0 cm

$35

A cabinet specimen with hundreds of bright green pyromorphite crystals to 2 mm, on matrix.  Nothing spectacular, but a decent representative from the mine.

Click thumbnails for larger images

IJP29 Pyromorphite

Chenelette, Beaujeau, Rhone-Alpes, France

6.3x 4.2x 4.0 cm

$295

 When most people think of French pyromorphite, Les Farges immediately comes to mind.  The truth is though, France has a number of other good pyromorphite localities, including the little know deposit at Beaujeau.   Here is a very aesthetic specimen of bright green pyromorphite from area, that that also produced some spectacular wulfenite/barite combinations.  It was collected in 1999, prior to the mine's closing in 2002.

I had the good fortune of coming into contact with a very generous French collector with whom I exchanged several specimens from Pakistan in return for a suite of French minerals, of which these pyromorphites were a part.

IJP34 Pyromorphite

Chenelette, Beaujeau, Rhone-Alpes, France

3.1x 3.0x 2.0 cm

$100

 A "toenail" hosting hundreds of tiny, bright green crystals.

IJP35 Pyromorphite

Chenelette, Beaujeau, Rhone-Alpes, France

3.4x 3.0x 2.0 cm

$125

 Another toenail  hosting hundreds of tiny, bright green crystals.  Excellent when viewed under magnification.

IJP36 Pyromorphite

Chenelette, Beaujeau, Rhone-Alpes, France

4.2x 4.0x 3.2 cm

$135

 Another miniature hosting hundreds of tiny, bright green crystals.

IJP38 Pyromorphite

Chenelette, Beaujeau, Rhone-Alpes, France

$145

Another Chenelette specimen, also with the top color, and in cabinet size. 

...

IJP39 Pyromorphite

Stribro, Pribram, Bohemia, Czech Republic

6.5x 2.8x 1.6 cm

$345

A beautiful brown pyriomorphite from Stribro, in the Czech republic.  This specimen was purchased from John Betts, who acquired it as part of the collection of one John Rorer, who purchased in in Verdun, France in 1954.  It comes with both the old labels.  When viewed closely, especially on the other side, some micro damage is visible.  Regardless, this is an exceptionally rare pyro.