Gallery 3
Pegmatite Minerals
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Q-126 Rose Quartz on Smoky Quartz $250
Paroon Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan
6 x 3.1 x 2.5 cm.
Rose Quartz, while common, is rarely found as crystals, most of which are found in Brazil. This rare specimen is from the small find made in 2002. No more of these spectacular Rose Quartz crystals from Afghanistan have been found since. Most of the Rose Quartz crystals from this find could be measured in millimeters. This specimen features single crystals up to 1.9 cm. in size, making an already rare specimen even more exceptional. Unlike most crystallized Rose Quartz, the Afghani specimens tend to have a lavender-rose hue which in contrast with the Smoky Quartz makes for a very aesthetic specimen.
G-028 Garnet variety Spessartine $175
Lavra Navegador, Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil
3 x 2.3 x 2 cm.
This juicy-looking Garnet shows an amazing stepped growth pattern and is a complete floater. Although the photos don't convey it very well, this crystal is completely transparent, and would look good in anybody's mineral cabinet.
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G-034 Garnet variety Spessartine $95
Lavra Navegador, Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil
2.6 x 2 x 1.1 cm.
This juicy-looking Garnet shows an amazing stepped growth pattern and is a complete floater. Although the photos don't convey it very well, this crystal is completely transparent, and would look good in anybody's mineral cabinet.
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Q-127 Rose Quartz $75
Galiléia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
4.5 x 4.8 x 1.9 cm.
A fine miniature specimen of lustrous Rose Quartz crystals up to 2 cm. in size. The upper portion of the specimen is quite clear. This specimen is contacted on the rear, and I have adjusted the price accordingly to reflect this.
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H-015 Hydroxylherderite on Cleavelandite $260
Corrego Frio, Divino das Larenjeiras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
7 x 4.5 x 3 cm.
This specimen consists of a very geometric Hydroxylherderite crowning a mound of Clevelandite, with over a dozen smaller, equally well-formed Hydroxylherderite crystals with a dusting of Cookeite. I am told that these were from a small, one-time find made a few years back and none have been found since at this mine.
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E-011 Euclase replacing Beryl $45
Karoi District, Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe
7.1 x 8 x 7 cm.
While not the most aesthetic-looking pegmatite mineral specimen around, this specimen stands out solely on its uniqueness. Having been a collector of pegmatite minerals and pseudomorphs for 19 years, this is the fist time I have encountered the mineral Euclase replacing anything. This singular specimen is crowned by a cluster of lustrous Muscovite. Although this specimen is contacted on the rear, mineral specimens from Zimbabwe are almost impossible to find these days, let alone something as weird and uncommon as this pegmatite oddity.
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G-043 Garnet variety Spessartine $55
Le Chang Mine, Guangdong Province, China
5.5 x 4 x 2 cm.
These Spessartines are definitely in the upper echelon of Garnet specimens. For the past 7-8 years, Chinese Garnets (especially the specimens from Fujian) have been quite abundant. But the really killer specimens have been too few and hard to come by. I am very fortunate to be able to get these amazingly gemmy specimens from a lesser known Chinese locality. These Garnets have a luster that has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Another plus is the striking orange color, much like the famous Spessartine Garnets from the world famous Little Three mine in Ramona, California. Considering the price of the more mundane looking Garnets from China I believe that this gorgeous specimens is a real bargain.
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G-044 Garnet variety Spessartine $45 SOLD
Le Chang Mine, Guangdong Province, China
5 x 3.1 x 1.3 cm.
These Spessartines are definitely in the upper echelon of Garnet specimens. For the past 7-8 years, Chinese Garnets (especially the specimens from Fujian) have been quite abundant. But the really killer specimens have been too few and hard to come by. I am very fortunate to be able to get these amazingly gemmy specimens from a lesser known Chinese locality. These Garnets have a luster that has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Another plus is the striking orange color, much like the famous Spessartine Garnets from the world famous Little Three mine in Ramona, California. Considering the price of the more mundane looking Garnets from China I believe that this gorgeous specimens is a real bargain.
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S-001 Spodumene var. Triphane $240
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
6.5 x 4.5 x 3.3 cm
A lighter shade of yellow, very gemmy. Double terminated.
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S-048 Spodumene variety Triphane $170
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
8.5 x 2.4 x 2.7 cm.
This oddly shaped yellow Spodumene is a totally gem quality mineral specimen, although it may not appear so by looking at he photos. I've sold close to a ton, literally, of Spodumene from Afghanistan. But I can not recall ever seeing a Spodumene that resembeled anything like this one.
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S-049 Spodumene Variety Kunzite $360
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
8.9 x 4 x 3 cm.
A chunky Kunzite from the pegmatite fields of the Pech Valley in Afghanistan. Once abundant, decent looking Kunzites from this prolific mineral location are getting very difficult to obtain.
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S-044 Spodumene with Mica $35
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
6.3 x 2 x 1.2 cm.
This Spodumene is one of the less often seen colors. These light apple-green Spodumenes are rarely encountered. These are not Hiddenite, although some less scrupulous dealers will sell these as such. This neat little specimen shows good form and no etching which is unusual for Spodumene and features a jacket of Muscovite. These apple-green Spodumene crystals are slightly light sensitive, so direct exposure to bright light is not recommended in order to preserve their color.
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S-014
Spodumene var. Kunzite on Quartz
with Montmorillonite inclusions $100
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
10 x 6 x 4.5 cm.
Kunzites
on any kind of matrix are very rarely found. This matrix piece consists
of a lightly colored Kunzite embedded in a double terminated Quartz crystal
with inclusions of pink Montmorillonite, reminiscent of the crystals that
were found at the White Queen Mine, Pala, CA in 1976 (where Fred Sickler
first discovered Kunzite).
note: there is some very minor damage to the termination of the Quartz,
it is barely visible & in my opinion does not detract from the beauty
of this rare piece. The price of this specimen has been adjusted to reflect
this.
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AH-011 Serandite
and Eudialyte $90
(ex. Ron
Waddell collection)
Demix Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec, Canada
6.8 x 3 x 2.1 cm.
This interesting mineral specimen features many brown Serandite crystals, which is the rarest of all colors for this mineral, paired with many colorful Eudialyte crystals in a snow-white matrix sprinkled with tiny, needle-like Aegerine crystals. This specimen was collected in the late 1970's before the Demix Quarry became incorporated into the Poudrette Quarry.
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AH-028 Synchysite-(Ce) on Analcime $170
Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec, Canada
10 x 5 x 4.5 cm.
This large specimen, upon first glance, appears to be a rather typical-looking cluster of Analcime crystals, but this specimen is much more than that. The dark gray region is composed of hundreds of 0.5 mm. disk-shaped crystals of the extremely rare mineral Synchesite-(Ce). (Ce is the symbol for the rare-earth element Cerium, for you non-chemists out there.) Although some are naked-eye visible, the Synchesite crystals are best viewed with a loupe or a microscope which reveals a sprinkling of minute Pyrite crystals, especially along the edges of the Synchesite disks.
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