Gone but not forgotten
These pages are dedicated to some of the more noteworthy specimens that have come my way and have since gone to a new home.
Vanadanite
ACF Mine, Mibladen, Morocco
6.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm.
This is one humongous Vanadanite crystal!
This was the first mineral specimen that Cal Neva Mineral Company sold. Thanks Rob.
Spodumene var. Triphane
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
7 x 7.5 x 3 cm.
Beryl var. Aquamarine
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
5 x 4.2 x 3.9 cm.
Beryl
var. Heliodor
ex. F. John Barlow collection
Wolodarsk, Wolynsky, Ukraine
6.6 x 1.8 x 1.7 cm.
Pyromorphite
Gui Lin, Guang Xi, China
7 x 3.5 x 2 cm.
Tourmaline var. Elbaite w\Albite
Darre Pech, Afghanistan
4.5 x 3.5 x 3.2 cm.
Tourmaline var. Elbaite
Himalaya
Mine, Mesa Grande District
San Diego County, California
5 x 2.6 x 2.6 cm.
This Tourmaline was in my collection & took first prize for best Tourmaline from San Diego County at the 2000 San Diego County Fair.
Spodumene var. Triphane
Bebee
Hole Mine, Jacumba District
San
Diego County, California
10 x 6.5 x 2.5 cm.
This specimen was also in my collection and took first prize for best mineral specimen from San Diego County at the 1997 San Diego County Fair.
Heulandite on Mordenite
Rat's
Nest Claims
Custer County, Idaho
Tourmaline var. Indicolite
Kanakana, near Darre Pech, Afghanistan
This
one died a premature death when my brother
Mike dropped it & then accidentally stomped on it.
Fluorite on Galena
O.G. Heading, Elmwood Mine, Smith Co. TN
4.2 x 4.5 x 4 cm.
A real beauty. A floater Galena crystal with with a smattering of Fluorite crystals to 1.2 cm. I'm told Galena & Fluorite associations were quite rare from the Elmwood Mine. Only 150 or so examples of this mineral association were found in the mid 1980's.
Herderite & Tourmaline var. Indicolite
Sapo Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil
4.5 x 3 x 4.2 cm.
Quartz with Tourmaline inclusions
Sapo Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil
8 x 7 x 5.5 cm.
I picked up a couple of these at the 2003 Tucson show. Tourmaline in Quartz is a common mineral association but I think these Sapo Mine specimens are better than average. The Quartz crystal is on a mass of bluish-green Tourmaline. It is also a double terminated scepter and is loaded with green & blue Tourmalines to the point that it looks like there was a Tourmaline explosion inside of the Quartz crystal. There are so many Tourmalines that they stick out of the crystal on almost all of the faces. There are also several large bluish-black Tourmalines on the rear of this specimen. This specimen is almost a floater, with just a small area of contact on the right side of the specimen.
Garnet var. Spessartine with Quartz & Feldspar
Le Chang Mine, Guang Dong Province, China
6.5 x 6 cm.
These Spessartines are definitely in the upper echelon of Garnet specimens. For the past 5-6 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 was very fortunate to score these amazingly gemmy specimens from a lesser known Chinese locality. These Garnets have a chatoyance that has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Another plus is the striking orange color, much like the famous Spessartines from the world famous Little 3 mine in Ramona, California.
Quartz var. Amethyst
Virginia
City, Comstock District,
Storey County, NV
8.5 x 5 x 3 cm.
The Comstock Lode achieved fame for the enormous volume of Silver that was mined there during the mid 1800's. Very few examples of the silver ore specimens or other associated minerals such as this Amethyst specimen were preserved. While single crystals are occasionally found on the mine dumps & surrounding hills by local collectors it is indeed a rare occasion that an intact plate of crystals such as this one is found.