Mixed Minerals
Teufelsmühle, Habachtal, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 16.1 x 10.5 x 9.6 cm
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An impressive skeletal quartz specimen from the famous emerald-locality Habachtal. The piece is rather massive, very much transparent and nicely lustrous. While the backside still shows the prismatic shape of the original crystal, the front is way too heavily etched. There is no visible damage anywhere!
Rare and imposing with a sligth smoky tinge, this is an unusually well specimen from this famous locale!
Val Gronda da Cavrein, Vorderrheintal, Graubünden, Switzerland
Size: 15 x 8.6 x 7.6 cm
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Typical for the cavrein valley and still unusual. The crystals of this piece are nicely grown on a matrix of greenish byssolite and are free of damage. On the left side of the specimen you see a zone of interaction between quartz and calcite, which is indeed typical for this locale. While the calcite is dissolved, the quartz remains and offers an insight in its pattern of growth. A fascinating piece for the locale.
Monte Prosa, Central St. Gotthard Massif, Tessin (Ticino), Switzerland
Size: 3.2 x 2 x 1.7 cm
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The largest iron rose on this tightly packed specimen is 2 cm in diameter, shows distinct hexagonal shape and brilliant luster! It is accompanied by several smaller, 3-dimensionally arranged rosettes of matching perfection. The backside is a cover of white feldspar, wraped around the hematite like a thick winter-coat. This is a superb thumbnail specimen of best hematite quality in perfect condition!
Prehnit Insel, Kratzenberg, Habachtal, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 7.3 x 3.8 x 1.4 cm
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This is a sparkling and glossy cluster of prehnite, crystallized very well. The crystals are pretty gemmy and have a bright ivory color.
Camissinone Mine, Zogno, Brembana Valley, Bergamo Province, Lombardy, Italy
Size: 6.5 x 5.4 x 2.7 cm
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A perfect floater, etched all around and completely flawless. The crystal is mainly colorless with a soothing purple core. Inside the crystal you can see small spots of yellow matrix that add some interesting color-effect. All in all this is a piece of simple beauty, perfectly shaped by mother nature and totally unblemished.
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This gold is from a very old find. We have a label that dates to 1958, but the specimen itself could even be older. Very appealing, looming like a sculpture, this remarkable piece is a cleft specimen with even some crystallized calcite visible. The gold is very shiny and emerges from the matrix on all sides, which adds a distinct 3-dimensional character. Very nice and rare from this classic locale!
Altai Mts (Rudnyi Altai), Eastern Kazakhstan Province, Kazakhstan
Size: 9.6 x 6.9 x 5 cm
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Honey yellow calcite of beautiful design and arrangement! The main crystal of 5.1 cm scalenohedral calcite sits at the very center of this vivid, 3-dimensional specimen. It is well defined, flawless and of great luster and transparency! All around extends a landscape af sparkling calcite. A really excellent specimen from an uncommon locale that shows best quality and aesthetics alike!
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Instead of "just" being a single crystal, this tourmaline is set on a kind of tourmaline shard, a piece that obviously was part of a larger crystal that broke off and completely re-healed on all sides. The bi-colored crystal is gemmy and lustrous with a flat termination. It is completely free of damage. An unusual specimen from this famed locale!
Cavradi, Val Curnera, Tujetsch, Graubünden, Switzerland
Size: 6.1 x 3.7 x 3 cm
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A brilliant combination of thick and lustrous hematite with small rutile scattered about its surface, all perched on a glassy quartz crystal. While the quartz itself might not be quite perfect at the back, it is doubly terminated and shows a beautiful termination at the bottom of the specimen. I love this kind of combination especially on such a beautiful specimen of sharp contrast and good quality.
Val Giuv, Tujetsch, Vorderrhein Valley, Graubünden, Switzerland
Size: 14.5 x 11.1 x 8.6 cm
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Large and massy yet very lively and 3-dimensional, this combination of two smoky quartz gwindel and accompanying prismatic crystals is a real stunner! The quartz shows a very intensive, warm brown color and is completely clear at the inside. The surface has a somehow "dusty" look but is otherwise lustrous and well, with no actual damage. Only one or two minor dings are visible but surely acceptable on a major piece like this. The smoky quartz gwindels from Val Giuv are among the worlds very best, which is obvious when you see this fantastic specimen.
Camissinone Mine, Zogno, Brembana Valley, Bergamo Province, Lombardy, Italy
Size: 8 x 7.5 x 5.8 cm
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As with the piece above, this fluorite shows a much better color in nature, than in the pictures. I love the exceptional beauty of this etched specimen as it offers something immensely fascinating to the viewer. The crystal is perfectly clear, a floater and in outstanding condition, with just one tiny chip - one you have to actively look for. The aesthetic of this piece is simply fantastic!
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Bou Azzer is easily the most famous and rich source for high class erythrite specimens worldwide and has produced collection pieces since the 1960s. This specimen is an old classic of superb quality and captivating appearance. A piece of grey rock that is covered in brilliantly lustrous and gemmy erythrite crystals on half its surface. The sharp crystals are very much stacked together, reaching around 1.2 cm in length. Overall this piece is in great condition with only some peripheral issues. An impressive piece altogether, elegant and appealing!