URI1 Copper ps. Cuprite

Poteryaevskoe Mine, Altaiskiy Kray, Western Siberian Region, Russia
6.1x 4.7 x 4.5 cm

$2300

A very respectably sized cluster of sharp cuprite octahedrons that have pseudomorphed to copper.  The individual crystals reach 1.6 cm.

This area has been producing cuprite for about 3 years now, but in 2011 there were also finds of these very interesting pseudomorphs.  The prices on these things have been consistently high-- unlike the cuprites which came out in massive quantities (and whose prices have moderated somewhat as a result), these pseudomorphs were only found towards the end of work in the cuprite-bearing zone (which is now finished), and in relatively small quantities.  In other words, these wont get any cheaper, only more expensive.

In Tucson the prices on these specimens varied from high to stupidly high, and in some cases based on which dealer was in charge of the room at the time.  This piece for example, was next to a nearly identical piece (that was only very slightly larger) with an asking price of $5000... so go figure.

URI2 Copper ps. Cuprite

Poteryaevskoe Mine, Altaiskiy Kray, Western Siberian Region, Russia
4.9x 4.7x 2.4 cm

$1700

A cluster of very sharp and distinct cuprite crystals (to 1.6 cm) that have pseudomorphed to copper.

Despite that fact that it is not the largest of the pseudos I have posted on this page, it is probably my favorite of the group.

There seems to have been a small area were silver was naturally plated onto the specimen-- this is visible in the image directly below the description, on the left-hand side of the specimen.

This area has been producing cuprite for about 3 years now, but in 2011 there were also finds of these very interesting pseudomorphs.  The prices on these things have been consistently high-- unlike the cuprites which came out in massive quantities (and whose prices have moderated somewhat as a result), these pseudomorphs were only found towards the end of work in the cuprite-bearing zone (which is now finished), and in relatively small quantities.  In other words, these wont get any cheaper, only more expensive.

URI3 Copper ps. Cuprite, Silver

Poteryaevskoe Mine, Altaiskiy Kray, Western Siberian Region, Russia
5.1x 4.2x 2.8 cm

$1200

A cluster of copper psudomorphs after cuprite octahedrons, with a small bit of associated silver.  The silver is best visible in the image directly below this description, on the top right area of the specimen.  The individual crystals reach 1.8 cm.

This area has been producing cuprite for about 3 years now, but in 2011 there were also finds of these very interesting pseudomorphs.  The prices on these things have been consistently high-- unlike the cuprites which came out in massive quantities (and whose prices have moderated somewhat as a result), these pseudomorphs were only found towards the end of work in the cuprite-bearing zone (which is now finished), and in relatively small quantities.  In other words, these wont get any cheaper, only more expensive.

URI4 Copper ps. Cuprite

Poteryaevskoe Mine, Altaiskiy Kray, Western Siberian Region, Russia
5.2x 3.6x 1.9 cm

$565

A cluster of copper psudomorphs after cuprite octahedrons, with a small bit of associated cuprite. 

This area has been producing cuprite for about 3 years now, but in 2011 there were also finds of these very interesting pseudomorphs.  The prices on these things have been consistently high-- unlike the cuprites which came out in massive quantities (and whose prices have moderated somewhat as a result), these pseudomorphs were only found towards the end of work in the cuprite-bearing zone (which is now finished), and in relatively small quantities.  In other words, these wont get any cheaper, only more expensive.

URI5 Copper ps. Cuprite

Poteryaevskoe Mine, Altaiskiy Kray, Western Siberian Region, Russia
1.8x 1.7x 1.4 cm

$185

A single crystal of cuprite that has pseudomorphed to copper.  There is still a bit of cuprite visible in a couple spots, making for an interesting reminder of what it once was. 

This area has been producing cuprite for about 3 years now, but in 2011 there were also finds of these very interesting pseudomorphs.  The prices on these things have been consistently high-- unlike the cuprites which came out in massive quantities (and whose prices have moderated somewhat as a result), these pseudomorphs were only found towards the end of work in the cuprite-bearing zone (which is now finished), and in relatively small quantities.  In other words, these wont get any cheaper, only more expensive.

URI6 Barite

Linwood Mine, Buffalo, Scott Co., Iowa, United States
12.7x 12.5x 6.4 cm

$850

A large and very sculptural cluster of barite crystals from the Linwood Mine.

The crystals do not have the best luster but their size and more importantly their arrangement do make this particularly appealing.  

Barite is not a rare mineral, but specimens like this are not particularly common either.  I never pay much attention to minerals from the midwestern USA, but this was a nice piece.  

The photographers from Lapis magazine took pictures of the piece for their show report-- it probably wont make it into the magazine, but the fact that it was among the specimens considered for possible inclusion does say something about it...

URI26 Quartz

Kakamunurle, Tamil Nadu State, India 

8.0x 4.2x 3.7 cm

$350

At first glance this would probably look like the typical material from Namibia... except it's form India.

While the central region of the country is famous for its zeolites, apophyllites and fluorites, Tamil Nadu, the state comprising India's south-eastern tip, produces (relatively) smaller quantities of amethyst, scapolite, and aquamarine.

This piece has some chipping around a couple of the edges, but with all the natural faces and etching the damage is somewhat hard to spot.  

Near the termination there is a purple region, which contrasts nicely with a deep orange, internal iron oxide stain.  Looking closely, it is possible to see a hairline crack on the surface of the crystal, over the iron oxide stain.  It appears that this crystal was once an enhydro, but the fluids seeped out though the crack, and at some point external iron-rich fluids seeped in and deposited the rust.  Usually iron oxide ruins a specimen, but in this case it makes for a beautiful piece.

URI7 Pezzottaite

Sakavalana mine, Ambatovita, Mandrosonoro area, Ambatofinandrahana District, Amoron'i Mania Region, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar

3.1x 2.3x 1.1 cm

$960

This may not be the sharpest crystal (mainly due to etching) but it is certainly a very large, reasonably gemmy, and deeply colored crystal of this exceedingly rare cesium-bearing member of the beryl family. 

The type material was discovered in Madagascar in 2002, and a very small number of morganites from Afghanistan were subsequently found to also be pezzottaite-- apart from that however, this mineral has not been found anywhere else.

I have been to Madagascar twice, and have not had the opportunity to buy any of this material there-- of the perhaps 8 pieces I have seen in the country, none had crystals bigger than 4 mm and I am pretty sure the local dealers were just imagining the pezzottaite on a couple of them...

Of course that was in Madagascar, and better pieces from the original find are available on the Western market.  Even compared to those however this is a pretty good piece-- only a few of the pieces pictured on Mindat even cross the 1.5 cm mark.

URI8 Beryl var, Aquamarine

Haramosh Mountains, Northern Areas, Pakistan

4.0x 3.0x 2.9 cm

$420

A really unusual beryl crystal.  To begin with, the Haramosh locality is known for producing unusually dark blue aquamarines, though this piece is unique in that it the crystal is zoned, showing both dark and light blue areas.

The crystal is even more of an oddity because of the crystal form.

I probably paid more for this than I should have (from a resale standpoint) but it was so unusual that I really wanted to put it on the website. 

The prices for Pakistani material have gone through the roof-- this is particularly true of what I saw in Pakistan.  I even heard a couple Pakistani dealers in Tucson remark that they had bought Pakistani/Afghan material IN Tucson to take BACK to Peshawar. 

I asked a couple of my Pakistani dealer friends if they knew the reason, and the answer I seemed to consistently get involved three factors.  Firstly, the market in Kabul is now open.  Pieces that used to go to Peshawar are now going Kabul, where the war has made a number of local people exceedingly rich.  Apparently they see the minerals as investments.  A second factor involved greater demand from China, not necessarily for specimens as much as for anything that could be used as gem rough of any quality.  That, coupled with a production shortage seems to have driven the prices up...

Unfortunately the mountains produce more of the same material every year, so unlike the early 90's when a Pakistani aqua plate was unusual, these days their relative abundance means that the demand for everything but the best pieces is considerably lessened.  As a result of higher prices and lower demand, a number of Pakistani dealers who used to come to Tucson are no longer there... plus issues obtaining US visas have not helped... 

None of that has much to do with this rock, I just thought it was interesting information  =)

URI9 Gratonite

Excelsior Mine, Cerro de Pasco, Pasco Department, Peru 

2.9x 2.6x 1.9 cm

$470

A great thumbnail of this rare iron arsenic sulfide.  This species is known from a number of localities world wide, but the only ones that I have ever seen for sale (including this one) are from old (pre-1950) finds in the Cerro de Pasco area.  This is a particularly good thumbnail, The ball of gratonite is positioned  nicely on its matrix, and I can see only one missing crystal in the whole cluster.

This is a beautiful thumbnail of one of the rarer South American sulfides.

URI10 Calcite

Daye mine, Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

9.8x 4.3x 3.7 cm

$265

A beautiful specimen of lightly iron stained calcite crystals perched on an elongated calcite crystal from a previous generation.  There is one missing crystal, but I have pictured it from all main angles and it appears exactly as in the photograph.

URI11 Calcite

Daye mine, Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

8.6x 3.0x 2.8 cm

$195

A beautiful specimen of lightly iron stained calcite crystals perched on an elongated calcite crystal from a previous generation.

No damage.

URI12 Calcite

Daye mine, Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

2.4x 2.3x 2.0 cm

$145

A triangular shaped calcite crystal on matrix.  No damage. 

From my collection of Chinese thumbnails. 

URI13 Calcite

Daye mine, Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

9.0x 3.8x 3.3 cm

$235

A triangular shaped calcite crystal on matrix.  No damage to the main crystal.  These are somewhat rarer than the scalenohedrons that Daye is famous for, and fairly sought after,

URI14 Calcite

Daye mine, Daye District, Ezhou Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

5.5x 4.2x 2.2 cm

$190

A gemmy, triangular shaped calcite crystal on matrix.  No damage to the main crystal.  These are somewhat rarer than the scalenohedrons that Daye is famous for, and fairly sought after,

URI15 Wulfenite

Mianning Mine, Houshan Town, Mianning Co., Sichuan Prov., China
5.6x 4.3x 3.6 cm

$165

A wulfenite specimen from one of the lesser known Chinese localities, the Mianning Pb/Zn mine.  These Mianning wulfenites are not seen all too often, but this year one dealer had a group of particularly rich (and in some cases sizable) pieces.  The wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, the small white crystals are barite.

For all the minerals that have come from China, the country has produced a relatively small amount of wulfenite.  In fact, up until the discovery of these specimens several years ago (8-9 years, I think) no good wulfenite specimens from the country were available on the market.  Around 2005-2006 there was a second major wulfenite discovery near Urumqi (further north in Xinjiang A.R.) that is considerably more well known, and which produced spectacular specimens in fairly large quantities.  As far as I am aware however, that second find has been worked out for some years, and apart from that occurrence and this one, I don't think there has been another Chinese locality to produce any significant wulfenites in any quantity.

URI16 Wulfenite

Mianning Mine, Houshan Town, Mianning Co., Sichuan Prov., China
10.3x 10.1x 6.9 cm

$400

A wulfenite specimen from one of the lesser known Chinese localities, the Mianning Pb/Zn mine.  These Mianning wulfenites are not seen all too often, but this year one dealer had a group of particularly rich (and in some cases sizable) pieces.  The wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, the small white crystals are barite.

For all the minerals that have come from China, the country has produced a relatively small amount of wulfenite.  In fact, up until the discovery of these specimens several years ago (8-9 years, I think) no good wulfenite specimens from the country were available on the market.  Around 2005-2006 there was a second major wulfenite discovery near Urumqi (further north in Xinjiang A.R.) that is considerably more well known, and which produced spectacular specimens in fairly large quantities.  As far as I am aware however, that second find has been worked out for some years, and apart from that occurrence and this one, I don't think there has been another Chinese locality to produce any significant wulfenites in any quantity.

URI17 Wulfenite

Mianning Mine, Houshan Town, Mianning Co., Sichuan Prov., China
6.8x 7.4x 3.5 cm

$235

A wulfenite specimen from one of the lesser known Chinese localities, the Mianning Pb/Zn mine.  These Mianning wulfenites are not seen all too often, but this year one dealer had a group of particularly rich (and in some cases sizable) pieces.  The wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, the small white crystals are barite.

For all the minerals that have come from China, the country has produced a relatively small amount of wulfenite.  In fact, up until the discovery of these specimens several years ago (8-9 years, I think) no good wulfenite specimens from the country were available on the market.  Around 2005-2006 there was a second major wulfenite discovery near Urumqi (further north in Xinjiang A.R.) that is considerably more well known, and which produced spectacular specimens in fairly large quantities.  As far as I am aware however, that second find has been worked out for some years, and apart from that occurrence and this one, I don't think there has been another Chinese locality to produce any significant wulfenites in any quantity.

URI18 Wulfenite

Mianning Mine, Houshan Town, Mianning Co., Sichuan Prov., China
11.0x 8.3x 6.5 cm

$450

A wulfenite specimen from one of the lesser known Chinese localities, the Mianning Pb/Zn mine.  These Mianning wulfenites are not seen all too often, but this year one dealer had a group of particularly rich (and in some cases sizable) pieces.  The wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, the small white crystals are barite.

For all the minerals that have come from China, the country has produced a relatively small amount of wulfenite.  In fact, up until the discovery of these specimens several years ago (8-9 years, I think) no good wulfenite specimens from the country were available on the market.  Around 2005-2006 there was a second major wulfenite discovery near Urumqi (further north in Xinjiang A.R.) that is considerably more well known, and which produced spectacular specimens in fairly large quantities.  As far as I am aware however, that second find has been worked out for some years, and apart from that occurrence and this one, I don't think there has been another Chinese locality to produce any significant wulfenites in any quantity.

URI19 Wulfenite

Mianning Mine, Houshan Town, Mianning Co., Sichuan Prov., China
7.1x 4.0x 2.6 cm

$200

A wulfenite specimen from one of the lesser known Chinese localities, the Mianning Pb/Zn mine.  These Mianning wulfenites are not seen all too often, but this year one dealer had a group of particularly rich (and in some cases sizable) pieces.  The wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, the small white crystals are barite.

For all the minerals that have come from China, the country has produced a relatively small amount of wulfenite.  In fact, up until the discovery of these specimens several years ago (8-9 years, I think) no good wulfenite specimens from the country were available on the market.  Around 2005-2006 there was a second major wulfenite discovery near Urumqi (further north in Xinjiang A.R.) that is considerably more well known, and which produced spectacular specimens in fairly large quantities.  As far as I am aware however, that second find has been worked out for some years, and apart from that occurrence and this one, I don't think there has been another Chinese locality to produce any significant wulfenites in any quantity.

URI20 Wulfenite

Mianning Mine, Houshan Town, Mianning Co., Sichuan Prov., China
5.1x 2.2x 3.7 cm

$165

A wulfenite specimen from one of the lesser known Chinese localities, the Mianning Pb/Zn mine.  These Mianning wulfenites are not seen all too often, but this year one dealer had a group of particularly rich (and in some cases sizable) pieces.  The wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, the small white crystals are barite.

For all the minerals that have come from China, the country has produced a relatively small amount of wulfenite.  In fact, up until the discovery of these specimens several years ago (8-9 years, I think) no good wulfenite specimens from the country were available on the market.  Around 2005-2006 there was a second major wulfenite discovery near Urumqi (further north in Xinjiang A.R.) that is considerably more well known, and which produced spectacular specimens in fairly large quantities.  As far as I am aware however, that second find has been worked out for some years, and apart from that occurrence and this one, I don't think there has been another Chinese locality to produce any significant wulfenites in any quantity.

URI21 Wulfenite

Mianning Mine, Houshan Town, Mianning Co., Sichuan Prov., China
5.5x 4.0x 2.6 cm

$135

A wulfenite specimen from one of the lesser known Chinese localities, the Mianning Pb/Zn mine.  These Mianning wulfenites are not seen all too often, but this year one dealer had a group of particularly rich (and in some cases sizable) pieces.  The wulfenite crystals are bipyramidal, the small white crystals are barite.

For all the minerals that have come from China, the country has produced a relatively small amount of wulfenite.  In fact, up until the discovery of these specimens several years ago (8-9 years, I think) no good wulfenite specimens from the country were available on the market.  Around 2005-2006 there was a second major wulfenite discovery near Urumqi (further north in Xinjiang A.R.) that is considerably more well known, and which produced spectacular specimens in fairly large quantities.  As far as I am aware however, that second find has been worked out for some years, and apart from that occurrence and this one, I don't think there has been another Chinese locality to produce any significant wulfenites in any quantity.

URI22 Perovskite

Chelyabinsk Oblast', Southern Urals, Urals Region, Russia
5.8x 4.1x 2.6 cm

$265

Every year some of the Russian dealers bring perovskite crystals to sell in Tucson.  Some years they have nothing but small single crystals and broken matrix specimens, other years, like this one, there are some nice pieces thrown into the mix.  This is a nice specimen, with a few well exposed crystals on top the matrix.  The matrix has a sawn base.

URI23 Perovskite

Chelyabinsk Oblast', Southern Urals, Urals Region, Russia
5.5x 4.3x 1.3 cm

$185

Every year some of the Russian dealers bring perovskite crystals to sell in Tucson.  Some years they have nothing but small single crystals and broken matrix specimens, other years, like this one, there are some nice pieces thrown into the mix.  

This is a nice specimen, with a single well exposed crystal perched on a flattened matrix.

URI24 Perovskite

Chelyabinsk Oblast', Southern Urals, Urals Region, Russia
6.5x 4.6x 2.1 cm

$190

Every year some of the Russian dealers bring perovskite crystals to sell in Tucson.  Some years they have nothing but small single crystals and broekn matrix specimens, other years, like this one, there are some nice pieces thrown into the mix.  

This is a nice specimen, with a single well exposed, and almost tabular crystals on matrix.

URI25 Parisite Pseudomorph

Mt. Malosa, Chilwa Alkaline Area, Zomba, Malawi

11.9x 8.5 x 5.5 cm

$175

A very large (and hideous) pseudomorph after parisite.  The exact minerals in each of these specimens varies, but the mixture typically consists of quartz and various rare-earth bearing minerals: bastnaesite, rhabdophane, etc.

As ugly as this is, it really is quite impressive given its size. 

Some dealers like to name their specimens in an attempt to increase their values.  This one should be named "The Cow Patty"... though somehow I don't think that would do much for the value =) .