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M-052  Muscovite and Lepidolite  $85

Lavra Ouro Fino, Coronel Murta, Minas Gerais, Brazil

7.2 x 6 x 3.4 cm.

A mirror-bright, Lepidolite crystal with a jacket of yellowish Muscovite crystals.  The Muscovite grades to a flesh-colored hue at the rear of the specimen.  The upper right portion of the Lepidolite is clear enough to allow light to pass through it.  This striking specimen has an almost surreal look under good light.  One more example of the diversity of Brazil's pegmatites.  An extremely fine example of this material was pictured (page 600) in the book Minerals and Precious Stones of Brazil that was published in 2010.

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M-053  Muscovite replacing Lepidolite  $65

Lavra Ouro Fino, Coronel Murta, Minas Gerais, Brazil

9.2 x 7.1 x 3.5 cm.

This Lepidolite crystal has been partially altered to Muscovite making for quite a contrast of colors and textures.  This striking specimen has an almost surreal look under good light.  One more example of the diversity of Brazil's pegmatites.  An extremely fine example of this material was pictured (page 600) in the book Minerals and Precious Stones of Brazil that was published in 2010.

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S-124  Kunzite  $55

Pala Chief Mine, Pala District, San Diego County, California

5.3 x 2.2 x 1.5 cm.

A lilac-pink colored crystal of Kunzite from the famous Pala Chief mine in San Diego, California.  The first finds of Kunzite were made by George F. Kunz in Pala over 100 years ago.  This crystal is double terminated and exhibits some etching, which is typical for the species.

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L-022  Lepidolite pseudomorph after Tourmaline  $75
(ex R. Rizzo collection)

Itinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil

7 x 6 x 3.5 cm.

Being a collector of pegmatite minerals and pseudomorphs, along with many other things, this specimen satisfies 2 of my collecting needs. Having way too many Lepidolite after Tourmaline specimens in my collection, I decided to part with this one.  This pseudomorph is fairly well-formed and has a very rich reddish-purple hue.  This specimen would add a lot of color to any mineral collection.

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L-023  Lepidolite on Rubellite Tourmaline  $50

Stewart Mine, Pala District, San Diego County, California

3.8 x 4.2 x 1.8 cm.

Here we have a specimen comprised of numerous purple-colored crystals of Lepidolite completely covering one side of a crudely shaped, terminated crystal of Tourmaline.  The Tourmaline crystal is translucent and ranges in color from red to pink.  A curious specimen from a very famous and classic Southern California mineral location.

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F-175  Cleavelandite and Muscovite with Microcline  $50

Xanda Mine, Virgem da Lapa, Minas Gerais, Brazil

8 x 6 x 3.5 cm

Here we have a triumvirate of minerals that are the cornerstone of most pegmatite deposits.  This attractive specimen features a 4 x 4 cm fan of pale sky-blue Cleavelandite blades and a 3 x 3 cm crystal of Muscovite encapsulating a chunky, 2 cm, flesh-colored crystal of Microcline.

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S-110  Kunzite and Cleavelandite on Quartz  $2,850

Mawi, Laghman Province, Afghanistan

22 x 11.5 x 11.5 cm.

Up until 15-20 years ago, Kunzite specimens on Matrix were virtually unheard of.  Not until the last 10 or so years have there been that many really good matrix Kunzite specimens on the market; before that the matrix Kunzites from Afghanistan were usually pretty mundane looking.  Here we have one of the better looking matrix Kunzites that can occasionally be had.  This combo specimen has an 11 cm. Kunzite piercing a 22 cm. Quartz crystal and is enveloped by a jacket of light-blue, curved, Cleavelandite crystals up to 3 cm. in size.  The rich reddish-purple colored Kunzite crystal is gem-clear with a pristine termination that grows fainter in color towards the top, yet when viewed down the c-axis a strong purple hue is visible.  The color of the Kunzite, combined with the light-blue color of the Cleavelandite makes for a nice contrast of colors.  This combined with a base of Quartz makes for an especially aesthetic specimen.  The Quartz crystal that serves as the matrix for this Kunzite-Cleavelandite combo is contacted on the bottom and portions of the side, which leads me to believe that this specimen came from a corner of the pocket.  Both the Quartz and the Kunzite possess a brilliant lustre.  I believe that this specimen is priced very low considering its quality.  I believe in passing along a good deal when it comes my way.  One more interesting feature of this specimen is that the Kunzite has a strong orange fluorescence under LWUV light and a strong hot-pink fluorescence under SWUV light.  Also observed was that small areas of the Quartz and Cleavelandite showed weak orange fluorescence under LWUV as well.

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F-170  Feldspar variety Albite  $60

Incline Village, Washoe County, Nevada

13 x 8 x 7 cm.

This cluster of Albite crystals is from an occurrence in the Sierra Mountains near Lake Tahoe.  Collecting conditions at this location are brutal and good specimens are hard won.  This specimen features numerous parallel-growth Albite crystals measuring up to 6 centimeters in size and features a porcelain-like lustre.  Although contacted on the rear, this specimen presents well.  Specimens from this little known locality are very much prized by local collectors and are to my knowledge almost never seen for sale.  A great addition to any mineral collection.

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H-040  Hydroxylherderite with Cookeite  $45

Linópolis, Divino das Laranjeiras, Minas Gerais, Brazil

4.2 x 3.5 x 2 cm.

This Hydroxylherderite crystal is from a new find made earlier this year.  This good-sized twinned crystal has patches of the mineral Cookeite on both its front and back which gives this specimen a nice luster.  This ochre-colored Hydroxylherderite specimen would be a great addition to any pegmatite collector's mineral cabinet.

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H-041  Hydroxylherderite  $30

Linópolis, Divino das Laranjeiras, Minas Gerais, Brazil

3 x 2.5 x .7 cm.

This Hydroxylherderite crystal is from a new find made earlier this year.  Scattered here and there on this twinned  Hydroxylherderite are isolated crystals of the mineral Cookeite on both its front and rear crystal faces which compliment this earthy-colored mineral specimen.  This Hydroxylherderite specimen would be a great addition to any pegmatite collector's mineral cabinet.

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T-152  Topaz with Schorl  $140

Erongo Mountain, Erongo Region, Namibia

4 x 2.5 x 2.3 cm.

When one thinks of Erongo, the first thing that comes to mind are the plethora of Aquamarines and world class Fluorite specimens that this modern-day classic mineral location has produced.  Erongo Mountain, over the years has produced some great Topaz as well.  This Topaz shows just a slight blush of blue when viewed down the c-axis of the crystal, especially from the bottom.  The terminal faces of this Topaz crystal are covered with dozens of needle-like Schorl crystals.  While there are several corners on the bottom of the crystal that have some dings, the largest one appears to have happened in situ as its surface exhibits several small growth hillocks suggestive of regrowth.

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A-039  Apatite and Muscovite  $40
(double terminated)

Zé Pinto Prospect, Aldeia, Doce Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil

2.5 x 2.8 x 1.8 cm.

An extremely lustrous, double-terminated floater crystal of Apatite flanked on one side by very well-formed crystals of Muscovite.  Once abundant in the early to mid-1990's, these classic Apatite specimens are almost impossible to obtain these days as this location has not produced any more of these beauties for some time now.

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B-044  Brazilianite  $360
ex Al Ordway collection #412

Mendes Pimental, Minas Gerais, Brazil

3.5 x 2.5 x 2 cm.

This crystal is very lustrous and has a gemmy termination. Some of the mines near Corrego Frio occasionally produced small amounts of Brazilianite. This one is from the was probably found in the 1960's or 70's

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