Treasure
Mt Xuebaoding, Pingwu Co., Mianyang Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China
Size: 11.4 x 11.2 x 9.6 cm
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This is a world class cassiterite specimen that features a huge crystal of jet-black cyclically twinned cassiterite with a total size of over 11 cm!
With a total specimen size of 11.4 cm that means the main crystal occupies the whole dimension from bottom to top while played about by silvery books of muscovite.
Condition is virtually flawless with only minor contacts around the lower periphery. The whole main edge and faces are outstanding, sharp, lustrous and very attractively structured!
As both sides are very well developed and attractively composed this specimen doesn’t have an obvious front or backside but it's a sweeping sight all around!
We had the specimen for cleaning in the M.C.P. lab with Federico Pezzotta who explicitly counts this specimen among the top 5 cassiterite he has ever seen or heard about!
The cassiterite is not repaired, only two small patches of muscovite matrix are restored to keep the focus on the crystal which is not just beautiful but utterly stunning in person!
This specimen is a rare occasion for an important world class cassiterite from the famous deposits of Mt. Xuebaoding in China which yielded specimen quality material for over 30 years while only rarely reaching quality and size even near what we can see here!
Nagar District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Size: 8.5 x 6.2 x 5.5 cm
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This apatite specimen from Nagar district is absolutely outstanding both in quality and aesthetics!
The crystal itself has a size of impressive 5.6 cm in diameter and is set on a beautiful silvery muscovite matrix.
But the apatite is not only large.
It has incredible luster on all sides, it is gemmy and with a vibrant pink color through and through!
Some intergrown muscovite even improves the overall aesthetics as it is all perfect and lovely!
The crystal itself is in fantastic condition. There are two tiny and practically invisible fills, the rest is just perfect!
Aesthetics, size and crystal quality are all top notch on this one in a million apatite specimen!
Tormiq valley, Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Size: 5.8 x 2.9 x 1.6 cm
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Rutile from the Tormiq area is extremely rare and I have never seen a specimen coming even close to the remarkable size and quality of this specimen!
It is 6.1 cm long, perfectly developed and super lustrous! A small white albite cluster and several rutile side-crystals make for a great outline around the solid, gemmy, blood red rutile main crystal.
The piece is repaired once in the middle where it was taken apart in the lab of Federico Pezzotta and professionally repaired and filled.
The uniqueness of the specimen in respect of size, quality and astounding beauty certainly justifies that decision.
The backside is an old contact that is re-crystallized and overgrown with albite.
It's truly a breathtaking specimen of stunning aesthetics and fabulous quality!
Shigar Valley, Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Size: 9.2 x 7 x 4 cm
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Super aesthetic top-notch aquamarine on snow white feldspar with spots of black schorl! The aquamarine comes as a cluster of three interlocked crystals the largest of which stands 6 cm tall with a diameter of 1.65 cm. It shows superb gemmy quality with a complex, highly lustrous and flawless termination. The water-blue color is realistic in the pictures and easily stands out from the white feldspar matrix. Sweeping aesthetics, exceptional crystal quality, best condition and very good hand-size all combine to an outstanding first grade specimen!
Pyingyi Taung, Male, Singu Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Division, Burma (Myanmar)
Size: 7.6 x 4.3 x 3.3 cm
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In 2018 a new tourmaline pocket has been opened in the Pyingyi Taung region, somewhere close to the village Let Pan Hla, and the found specimens by far outshine all previous finds of this mineral in the region! The intensive cherry-red color as seen in the pictures is not exaggerated at all and best sparkling luster even emphasizes the pristine quality and aesthetics! Two prominent main crystals are set on a matrix, covered in smaller pink side-crystals and white feldspar. Both crystals are flawless, gemmy and of striking color! The crystals are about equal in size with around 2 cm in diameter and nicely contrast from the much smaller crystallized matrix. Most spectacular about this new find is but not the without question fantastic color but the exceptionally complex crystal architecture! The crystals are developed with almost unreal precission and sharpness, like CNC milled and polished to highest luster! The polyhedral crystals, the intensive cherry-red color and irresistible aesthetics make this a remarkable rarity of exceptional character. Absolutely mesmerizing and the best of the find!
Paprok, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan
Size: 10.5 x 6.8 x 6 cm
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While most tourmaline specimens from this important region near the Paprok village are loose single crystals, this tourmaline is set on a beautiful matrix which separates it from the bulk. The matrix is an ideal arrangement of white albite and dark smoky quartz which very much supports the rainbow colored tourmaline! The tourmaline itself is a very catchy high class crystal and impresses with it's distinctive color zoning which is exceedingly rare in such fascinating extent! Pink, white, blue, green. Below that a zone of pale skin color over a dark green base. Very impressive, beautiful and unique, especially for its gemmy crystal quality. The crystal size is 3.3 x 2.5 cm which makes for a perfect proportion and nice cabinet size!
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This outstanding topaz is the centerpiece of a spectacular 2017 find near a farm in Fazenda do Centro, Brazil. Over 80 kg of pure topaz were unearthed before the site got depleted once and for all. This crystal is a real monster and completely perfect without even the smallest damage and wonderfully etched all around! The skeletal shape is incredibly 3-dimensional with caves and cavities and clefts and vugs, all summing up to a 33 cm high mountain! A staggering highlight about this piece is also the color! While the left and right side show a distinct champagne color, the centre completely changes to a light blue that stretches out right up to the multi-peaked summit! This bi-color development on a piece of such immense size is something that surpasses everything else on the market or in the history books by far! The surface is all lustrous and beautifully structured, as much as you can wish for. The bottom, the backside and absolutely everything on this specimen is crystallized and just incredibly attractive in person! The crystals body is flawless to the bone, having no impurities or internal cracks! This is the absolute superlative of topaz!
Stak Nala, Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan , Pakistan
Size: 10.2 x 5.1 x 3.8 cm
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A lovely coat of white albite and pink lepidolite nicely envelops the stunning doubly terminated tourmaline crystal. The crystal is remarkably large for a Stak Nala piece and strikes with great luster, a well defined termination and the color change. While pink at the bottom, the crystal has a characteristic dark middle part and a gemmy achroite part to the top! The whole specimen is in best condition with only very minimal wear on a few spots. As you can very well see in our video, the crystal has a sparkling, nicely structured surface on all sides and stands out of the albite/lepidolite coat in just the right proportion. Highly aesthetic and of excellent quality!
Camissinone Mine, Zogno, Brembana Valley, Bergamo Province, Lombardy, Italy
Size: 27.5 x 24.5 x 12 cm
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This is a large matrix-specimen of purple fluorite that is totally impressive in size and a real showpiece! I have seen quite some great pieces coming from Zogno but nothing even remotely as imposing as this fine specimen. As is characteristic for those fluorite this piece shows a color change depending on the light-temperature. The heavily etched crystal shines in a dark vibrant purple at warm light or intensive blue at colder light. The white contrasting matrix is what makes this piece so very special as usually these pieces do not come with matrix. Very attractive in person, exceedingly rare and in great condition this is a real masterpiece in person!
Shigar Valley, Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Size: 7.7 x 4.7 x 3.5 cm
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Aquamarine crystals of differing length are uniquely clustered to resemble a spiral staircase! Nested in the middle of this structure is an orange spot of garnet that makes a lovely addition and very much enhances the overall picture! The aquamarine itself is limpid, highly lustrous and without even the slightest flaws! Even the bottom is not broken but fully crystallized! The terminations are absolutely fantastic with beautiful bevels, lovely surface structure and just brilliant luster! This remarkable aquamarine specimen is totally exceptional in aesthetics and quality!
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Tsumeb, Namibia
Size: 7.3 x 7.3 x 5.5 cm
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Tsumeb is "The Classic Locale" for azurite, while this is a remarkable good piece from there! The beautiful and dominant main crystal, with a size of 4 x 3 cm is perfectly situated in the middle of the matrix. It has a very intense 3-dimensional character that is best visible in person. Color and luster are stunning, while it gets gemmy blue on the edges with light from the back! The azurite is in association with some malachite, which makes a very good accent to it. The whole specimen is in a superb condition and the main crystals are completely pristine all around! Just one of the smaller crystals has some minor edgewear, which is fully acceptable on such a significant specimen! A perfect fit for the advanced collector!
Stak Nala, Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan , Pakistan
Size: 12.4 x 10.6 x 8.4 cm
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The composition of this piece is really spectacular! The fluorite is in association with elbaite, cleavelandite, topaz, quartz, microlite and mica, what means that we have 7 different minerals on this piece! All are perfectly balanced to each other, forming this fabulous specimen with such a beautiful aesthetics. The fluorite has a very good green color and an impressive size of 8.5 cm from the left to the right. The tourmaline has a very good luster and a wonderful termination. The whole specimen is pristine all around and free of damage. To get a piece of this calibre is very hard, especially the size of the fluorite is very uncommon and way bigger then what is normally coming to the market from Stak Nala. It is out of a find, which was made around one and a half years ago and is one of the very finest specimens I have seen. Very impactful and impressive! price on request