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Pegmatite Mineral SpecimensWINTER SALE 25 - 50% OFF ALL MINERAL SPECIMENS Return to Mineral Specimen Galleries
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H-085 Hureaulite
with Correianevesite (TL) Jocão Pegmatite, Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil 18.3 x 8.2 x 3.3 cm This specimen is a great example of the diversity of Brazil's pegmatite minerals. The Jocão pegmatite is well-known for its suite of phosphate species that have been found there. It is very similar to the famous Tip Top Mine in South Dakota for the major phosphate species found. The most recognizable of these species is the uncommon manganese phosphate mineral, Hureaulite. This large specimen of salmon to pink-colored Hureaulite is comprised of crystals measuring up to 8 mm in size, many of which are translucent. Also present on this specimen are brown-colored crystals of of the rare iron phosphate mineral, Correianevesite measuring up to 5 mm in size. The Jocão Pegmatite is the type locality for Correianevesite. Correianevesite is named for Professor José Marques Correia Neves (1929-2011), mineralogist from Portugal, for his detailed studies of Brazilian pegmatites.
Morganite-Aquamarine combination crystals are pretty rare and when you can find them they are almost always Morganite with an Aquamarine center or one side is pink and the other is blue. You almost never see a bi-colored tabular Beryl with a Morganite core and the outer part of the crystal being Aquamarine. The combination of the pink and blue of the Beryl crystal along with the dark-green\black Tourmaline crystals (some of which penetrate the Beryl crystal with several of them being olive-green in color) and a whitish jacket of Albite make for a good contrast of colors. This specimen has no damage and is a complete crystal. The largest of the Tourmaline crystals shows signs of having broken while in situ, but has been re-healed, as is indicated by the growth hillocks that are visible on the end of the crystal.
G-109 Spessartine
Garnet on Albite with Quartz
Shengus, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan 11 x 6 x 6 cm. This specimen features many Spessartine Garnet crystals up to 1.6 cm. on a towering matrix of blocky Albite crystals, crowned by a 3.6 cm. Quartz crystal.
Q-482 Smoky
Quartz on Microcline Andrzej II Quarry, Zólkiewka, Swidnica, Lower Silesia, Poland 6.5 x 5.5 x 3.2 cm Two very clear & lustrous Smoky Quartz crystals aesthetically set on a matrix of well-formed crystals of Microcline. A neat feature of this piece is the overgrowth of transparent Microcline that covers the front and some of the top of this specimen.
F-318 Microcline
with Gilbertite, Tourmaline & Smoky Quartz Epprechtstein, Kirchenlamitz, Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge, Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany 4 x 2.7 x 2.5 cm A pair of well-formed, buff-colored crystals of Microcline. The Microcline serves as a host for many Tourmaline crystals that have been coated by the compacted variety of Muscovite known as Gilbertite.
H-073 Hematite
pseudomorph after Siderite on Microcline
Lake George, Park County, CO 4 x 3.9 x 2.6 cm. This magnificent, as far as pseudomorphs are concerned, mineral specimen was found around 15 years ago by friends of mine from southern California while on vacation in Colorado. Being a collector of pseudomorphs myself, I am greatly impressed by the faithful replacement of the Siderite by the Hematite. Most pseudomorphs do not retain such an exact form of the mineral species that they have replaced. The Hematite pseudomorphs are perched on a crystal of Microcline making for a nice contrast of colors.
T-294
Microcline with Topaz & Smoky Quartz Papachacra, Belén Department, Catamarca, Argentina 5.5 x 5.3 x 3.4 cm. This specimen consists of two well-formed, twinned crystals of Microcline partially surrounding a slightly etched crystal of Topaz. Also present are several crystals of Smoky Quartz. The whole assemblage is dusted with minute crystals of Muscovite and a little bit of Chlorite. This specimen is nearly a floater, with only a portion of the bottom of the specimen showing any contact.
S-163 Stilbite Mawi Pegmatite, Nilaw-Kolum Pegmatite Field, Du Ab District, Nuristan, Afghanistan 3.9 x 2.7 x 2.7 cm While not unheard of, Zeolite minerals in pegmatites are not that common. Especially when it comes to Afghanistan where the only other pegmatite occurrence of a zeolite mineral are the Pollucite crystals from 15-20 years ago. This specimen features many well-formed and undamaged crystals of honey-brown-colored Stilbite. I'd seen several of these associated with Kunzite a few years back but that was it for this find. This specimen would make a fine addition to anyone's collection of pegmatite or zeolite minerals.
A-104 Fluorapatite Sapo Mine, Ferruginha, Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil 5.6 x 3 x 1.3 cm. Apatite from this mine has come out in a vast array of styles over the years, this particular form being the most interesting in my opinion. This sculptural and complex Apatite crystal shows an interesting inter-grown form with divergent columns emanating from the upper portion of the specimen. As an added bonus the crystal is hollow, is terminated on all ends and damage free with a great lustre.
F-312 Microcline (Manebach
twin) Medina Pegmatite Field, Pedra Azul, Minas Gerais, Brazil 8.6 x 7.5 x 3.5 cm A large crystal of Manebach-twinned Microcline from Brazil's renowned Pedra Azul District. This crystal is has an bone-white hue with darker flesh colored highlights. Also present on this specimen are small crystals of Muscovite.
G-163 Spessartine
Garnet Navegadora Claim, Penha do Norte, Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil 3.1 x 2.2 x 1 cm A fully-formed Spessartine Garnet from the legendary 2001 find. This Spessartine crystal is a complete floater and exhibits a geometric growth pattern. This specimen has has great clarity and great color saturation, but not too dark like so many of these seem to be. These photographs were taken with very little backlighting.
B-205 Aquamarine
on Quartz Tirschenreuth, Oberpfalzer Wald, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany 4.8 x 3.4 x 4.6 cm. An exceptionally nice (especially for Germany), translucent, pale green-blue Aquamarine crystal, perched on a matrix of Quartz. Beryl specimens from Germany are few and far between and are usually not terminated. When they are it is usually a flat termination that is often crude. Not only is this Aquamarine terminated, the termination is a Pyramidal one. This is most likely an older German specimen from the 1800's.
B-256 Aquamarine,
Microcline, Smoky Quartz, Fluorite & Opal-AN (Hyalite) Erongo Mountains, Karibib Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia 15.6 x 13.4 x 9.4 cm This large specimen consists of many twinned Microcline crystals measuring to 7 cm that serve as a host for numerous crystals of Aquamarine and Fluorite. The Aquamarine crystals range in color from sky blue to a light, inky-blue hue. The Fluorite crystals that seem to be everywhere on this specimen are found as cubes, some of which are modified on their edges and range in color from mint to medium green. There is one yellowish Fluorite crystal on this specimen that was suggested to me as possibly being Yttrofluorite but I have not had it tested. Also present on this specimen are partially clear crystals of Smoky Quartz measuring up to 3cm. The white mineral on the top portion of this specimen is Opal-AN, also called Hyalite and is fluorescent. All of crystals on this specimen are complete and undamaged. An aesthetic and very 3-dimensional specimen that can be displayed with several different orientations and always look good.
T-374 Topaz,
Smoky Quartz and Orthoclase Diamond Rocks, Mourne Mountains, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK 7 x 3.8 x 3.1 cm A vug of Smoky Quartz and Microcline. The left side of the vug features three Topaz crystals, the largest of which measures 3 millimeters. Specimens from location rarely make it outside of the UK.
B-245 Aquamarine
Shengus, Haramosh Mountains, Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan 7.3 x 1.7 x 1.3 cm A slightly bent (due to tectonic forces) and double terminated crystal of Aquamarine. This specimen has great color. The upper portion of this crystal is gemmy and has a glass-like lustre. The lower portion below the bend has veil-like inclusions but is still pretty clear. The top of this crystal is crowned with several oddly-formed crystals of colorless Beryl.
T-343 Elbaite Mawi Pegmatite, Nilaw-Kolum Pegmatite Field, Du Ab District, Nuristan, Afghanistan 6 x 4.4 x 2.4 cm A pod or concretion of finely crystallized, mint-green-colored Tourmaline.
T-376 Topaz
RESERVED Pedra Azul Pegmatite District, Minas Gerais, Brazil 4.5 x 5.4 x 3.6 cm A Topaz crystal with a complex termination that has a small layer of Albite on one portion. This crystal has a blue-green hue and is mostly transparent. One corner of the specimen has an indented form. There is a small chip on the bottom of one corner face of the crystal but is barely noticed.
B-244 Beryl
with Albite & Muscovite Baha, Braldu Valley, Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan 7.5 x 6.5 x 5 cm Here we have a combo specimen of bi-colored Beryl, bronze\brass-colored Muscovite and massive, white Albite. The Beryl crystal is double-terminated and has a glassy lustre. An interesting specimen from one of Pakistan's lesser know pegmatite localities.
L-034 Lepidolite
with Topaz Virgem da Lapa, Minas Gerais, Brazil 10.5 x 7 x 4.4 cm. This specimen consists of numerous well-formed crystal of Lepidolite that measure up to 3 x 3 centimeters and are dusted with a coating of Muscovite and accented by a 3 centimeter crystal of Topaz. The Topaz crystal has a little wear on the lower left corner of the crystal. I think that it is trivial as the main feature of this specimen are the Lepidolite crystals. Specimens of Topaz on matrix from this famous location are uncommon.
Q-572 Rose
Quartz on Quartz Pitorra Claim, Laranjeiras, Galiléia, Minas Gerais, Brazil 5.4 x 4.3 x 3.2 cm A piece of milky Quartz blanketed by nearly transparent crystals of Rose Quartz.
Wushan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, China 5.3 x 4 x 2.6 cm. These Spessartines are definitely in the upper echelon of Garnet specimens. For the past 15-16 years, Chinese Garnets have been quite abundant. But the really good 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.
M-063 Muscovite
& Orthoclase Chabanne Quarry, Saint-Sylvestre, Haute-Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France 4.3 x 3.8 x 3.7 cm This specimen features many spheres of Muscovite measuring up to 7 mm in size, on a matrix of flesh-colored Orthoclase. Examples of botryoidal Muscovite, or any of the Mica minerals, are rare.
S-182 Spodumene Walnut Hill Pegmatite, Huntington, Hampshire County, MA 3.5 x 2.7 x 2.8 cm A tan-colored, terminated crystal of Spodumene from an old-time East Coast locality.
S-110 Kunzite
and Cleavelandite on Quartz Mawi Pegmatite, Du Ab District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan 22 x 11.5 x 11.5 cm. Up until 20-25 years ago, Kunzite specimens on Matrix were virtually unheard of. Not until the last 15 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. 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.
F-317 Microcline Shigar Valley, Shigar District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan 6 x 4.5 x 3.4 cm A bone-white, six-sided crystal of Microcline. Several of the faces of this crystal have a thin overgrowth of clear Microcline. A-125 Fluorapatite
with Muscovite Golconda Pegmatite Field, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil 4.9 x 4.5 x 3.3 cm A double-terminated crystal of Fluorapatite with several platy crystals of Muscovite. This crystal has a satin-like lustre and features a secondary growth of smaller and clearer Fluorapatite crystals. Areas of this specimen exhibit a moderate SW & LW fluorescence.
Q-431 Quartz
with Indicolite Tourmaline Joao Velho Mine, Jenipapo District, Itinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil 7.4 x 3.3 x 3 cm. When I examine this specimen I have a hard time figuring out where the Quartz ends and the Tourmaline begins. Is this a Tourmaline specimen or a Quartz specimen? I've handled my share of these Indicolite included Quartz crystals over the years but have not seen one quite like this before. This singular specimen is heavily included to the point that it is draped with a cascade of minute Indicolite crystals. You will either find this piece ugly or you will embrace its weirdness, like I did when I bought it.
S-157 Spodumene
on Quartz Nevel Quarry, Newry, Oxford County, ME 5.2 x 4.4 x 2.6 cm A specimen of opaque, off-white-colored Spodumene from Newry, Maine. The Spodumene is terminated on one end and sits in/on a matrix of Quartz. Also present on the specimen are several areas of silvery-colored Muscovite.
Q-543
Quartz with Montmorillonite inclusions
SOLD White Queen Mine, Hiriart Mountain, Pala, Pala Mining District, San Diego County, CA 13.1 x 5.9 x 3.2 cm Here's a classic Quartz from the pegmatites of northern San Diego County. In 1970's several pockets with Quartz crystals with pink & white Montmorillonite inclusions were found. Many of the larger crystals were sawn in half & polished to better show these inclusions. These crystals are rarely seen these days & even rarer are large ones such as this.
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