| 8240: |
Fluorite - $18 Reduced
to $8 near Rich City, Atlas Mountains, Er Rachidia Province, Morocco 4.4 x 4.0 x 3.8 cm (1.7 x 1.6 x 1.5 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A single, translucent to transparent
fluorite crystal, with four partial faces. The color is dependent on
the light source: aquamarine and yellow under daylight fluorescent
light (used for the photos) versus purple and nearly colorless under
halogen light. Most of the roughness on the display face is due to
natural etching; the base in contacted and cleaved.
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| 8343: |
Tremolite (variety Hexagonite) and Pyrite -
$22 Reduced
to $19 Balmat, Balmat-Edwards Zinc District, St. Lawrence County, New York 5.9 x 3.3 x 2.3 cm (2.3 x 1.3 x 0.9 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A slightly divergent, compact spray of
reddish brown hexagonite needles hosts small pyrite cubes. (Hexagonite
is a tremolite variety with hexagonal crystals; supposedly found only
at this locality.) The pyrite cubes reach 2 mm along the crystal edge.
An interesting association specimen; I have not seen this combination
from this locality before.
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| 8539: |
Berthierite Herja Mine, Chiuzbaia, Baia Mare, Maramures County, Romania 4.1 x 3.2 x 2.5 cm (1.6 x 1.3 x 1.0 inches) Specimen status: Sold A rich, compact group of nearly parallel,
submetallic, steely gray berthierite crystals, without matrix.
Berthierite is an iron antimony sulfide, FeSb2S4.
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| 8835: |
Calcite, Dioptase, and Duftite - $25 Reduced
to $13 Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region, Namibia 3.7 x 3.6 x 2.4 cm (1.5 x 1.4 x 0.9 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A cluster of opaque, nearly white calcite
crystals with a somewhat waxy luster. Individual crystals reach 1.3 cm
along an edge. Notable is the strong orange red shortwave UV
fluorescence (second picture), and the association with a few dioptase
and duftite crystals. Sits well for display without a stand, and free
of damage.
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| 8893: |
Wulfenite - $20
Reduced to $14 Glove Mine, Tyndall District, Santa Cruz County, Arizona 4.4 x 4.0 x 2.6 cm (1.7 x 1.6 x 1.0 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A carpet of elongated bipyramidal
wulfenite crystals cover one face of a gossan matrix. Individual
crystals reach 3 mm in length. Many Glove Mine wulfenites are thin and
tabular; this stouter crystal form is less common. No damage.
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| 8897: |
Wulfenite - $30 Reduced
to $21 Glove Mine, Tyndall District, Santa Cruz County, Arizona 7.7 x 5.8 x 4.5 cm (3.0 x 2.3 x 1.8 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A thick carpet of
green-brown,
translucent to opaque wulfenite crystals covers about half the matrix.
The crystals are mostly elongated cubes (or truncated bipyramids) and
reach 2 mm in length. Many Glove Mine
wulfenites are thin and tabular; this stouter crystal form is less
common. No damage.
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| 8904: |
Wulfenite Melissa Mine, Silver District, La Paz County, Arizona 4.5 x 4.1 x 3.9 cm (1.8 x 1.6 x 1.5 inches) Specimen status: Sold Opaque, red-brown wulfenite octahedra (or
bipyramids) cover one face of the matrix. Individual wulfenites reach 2
mm. Minor calcite patches also present. A rich specimen from this
uncommon locality. No damage.
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| 9020: |
Calcite and Actinolite - $10 Reduced
to $9 Comstock Orebody, Iron Springs District, Iron County, Utah 4.2 x 2.9 x 2.3 cm (1.7 x 1.1 x 0.9 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A cluster of waxy, translucent calcite
'poker chips' accompanied by green, opaque actinolite crystals. Most of
the actinolites have a brushy termination, or the terminations are
incomplete.
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| 9026: |
Scheelite, Calcite, and Muscovite - $28 Reduced
to $25 Mt Xuebaoding, Pingwu County, Mianyang Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China 3.5 x 3.1 x 1.9 cm (1.4 x 1.2 x 0.7 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order From the famous Chinese scheelite
locality comes this glassy, butterscotch scheelite octahedron perched
on
the edge of a white calcite matrix. The scheelite is transparent to
opaque, measures 2.1 cm in its longest dimension, and is decorated with
a bit of muscovite. Under shortwave UV the scheelite exhibits a bright
blue-white fluorescence as is typical for the species. I see one small
area along its edge that might be a contact point, otherwise the
scheelite is complete.
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| 9043: |
Vanadinite - $30 Reduced
to $21 Mibladen, Midelt, Khénifra Province, Morocco 18.0 x 10.5 x 4.5 cm (7.1 x 4.1 x 1.8 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A flat matrix is approximately
half-covered by a thick crust of glassy, red-brown vanadinite crystals.
(The color is more red and less orange than the pictures on my computer
suggest.) The vanadinites reach 5 mm across, show classic tabular
hexagonal form, and are mostly opaque. The few damaged crystals are
lost in a sea of glistening vanadinite.
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| 9059: |
Pyromorphite - $10 Reduced
to $9 Shinkolobwe Mine, Shinkolobwe, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo 3.8 x 2.8 x 2.5 cm (1.5 x 1.1 x 1.0 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order As a pyromorphite specimen, this piece
leaves something to be desired. The crystals have bright color, but
most are significantly contacted. The specimen is notable for its
locality: Katanga pyromorphite is uncommon; Mindat lists the
Shinkolobwe Mine as the only pyromorphite locality in the Katanga
Copper Crescent.
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| 9106: |
Vanadinite and Descloizite - $28 Reduced
to $25 Gonzalito Mine, Complejo Gonzalito District, Sierra Grande, Río Negro, Argentina 4.7 x 3.6 x 1.7 cm (1.9 x 1.4 x 0.7 inches) Specimen status: Available Click here to order A nearly flat matrix hosts lustrous,
opaque vanadinite crystals that
reach 5 mm length. The color is caramel to brown. Behind the vanadinite
is a contrasting carpet of small, black descloizite crystals. No
damage. Unusual locality: Mindat lists only six vanadinite localities
in Argentina.
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