Sold Minerals
Gamsmutter, Habach Valley, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 6.2 x 5.4 x 2.5 cm
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Alpine tourmaline is a rare thing to have especially if it is supposed to be attractive! While most significant classic schorl specimen are from Lohning quarry in Rauris Valley, this rather large and impressive piece was found at the Habach Valley. It is a sparkling composition of thin, jet black tourmaline needles all showing best luster. Some peripheral regions are damaged but front and backside are equally beautiful and in great condition. The backside has some additional chlorite and white albite. All in all this is an outstanding specimen of Alpine schorl!
Gilgit-Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Size: 13.4 x 5.1 x 4.2 cm
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A superb Alpine-style quartz specimen from Pakistan that strikes with dramatic size and amazing quality! The massive, water-clear quartz is virtually perfect with only a contact at the backside. This contact is visible from the front through the crystal as you can see in the pictures but which is due to the spectacular quality of the quartz. With no internal cracks, a lustrous surface and a sharp, well defined shape, this crystal is absolutely top-notch!
Schlegeis, Zillertaler Alpen, Ginzling, North Tyrol, Austria
Size: 7.7 x 4.3 x 1.4 cm
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Rather large and virtually flawless, this is an unusually fine apatite specimen from the Zillertal Alps. Apart from size and the uncommon locale, the most special aspect about this apatite is the striking surface structure. While the front is smooth, the backside is covered with little immersions, probably the imprints of little adularia crystals.
The shape is that of a evenly flat tile with bevelled edges. The bottom, where it detatched from the matrix, is completely re-crystallized. The crystals body is transparent with white, smoke-like patterns. Exceptional, beautiful and extremely rare!
Hoher Sonnblick, Rauris, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 11.1 x 4 x 3.3 cm
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Sharp, glassy and with hundreds and hundreds of mirroring faces this specimen appeares as an ivory tower of pristine quality! The piece is crystallized all over with some limonite covering the sharp bottom termination. The tip is a scepter that is completely gemmy with best luster and not the slightest chip. A rare beauty of unique shape, flawless crystallization and absolutely best quality!
Zinggenstock, Grimsel area, Hasli valley, Berner Oberland, Switzerland
Size: 8.4 x 6.4 x 6 cm
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High quality smoky quartz crystals on a contrasting white feldspar rich matrix that is characteristic for the locale! The two larger main crystals are developed as transparent and flawless left-handed prismatic crystals with sharp pointed terminations. They are surrounded by smaller crystals of equally high quality. Around the periphery there are some contacts and smaller breaks but apart from that this specimen is a brilliant one in very fine condition! Especially the exceptional crystal quality and warm brown color really stand out!
Fazenda do Centro, Castelo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
Size: 14.7 x 8.5 x 5.2 cm
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This etched topaz comes from the staggering 2017 find near a farm in Fazenda do Centro, Brazil. The exceptional and rather spectacular pocket yielded a number of skeletal topaz of different colors that are absolutely unique in the world! The floater crystals of this new pocket are of unusual shape due to heavy 3-dimensional etchings and razor-sharp etches! This specimen is champagne-colored and of sweeping aesthetics! It is totally etched all around, a complete flaoter without any damage except for very minimal wear. The topaz is transparent with a lustrous, sparkling surface that fascinates with rich details! Have a look on our video to see the intriguing shape of this marvel!
Fazenda do Centro, Castelo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
Size: 16 x 10 x 5.5 cm
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The sweeping shape and also the impressive bi-color structure make this unusual etched topaz a real eye-catcher! It is from the unique one-time find near Fazenda do Centro that brougth a very limited number of high class topaz specimens! As a floater this topaz has no matrix but also no contacts or damage. It is compound of a champagne colored a little more massive lower part and an elegant sky blue upper part. The sail-like shape is attractive and catchy and in outstanding condition all around! It's the kind of specimens you wouldn't expect from anywhere except for this single find at Fazenda do Centro.
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A glassy, mulitcolor tourmaline with open colors and a flawless rhombohedral termination. The lower half is translucent with orange/pink color. Up from there it gets increasingly gemmy and the colors switch from white to different shades of green and pink at the termination. The back of the crystals has some white feldspar and a small tourmaline side-crystal attached to it. Absolutely brilliant crystal of multicolor tourmaline!
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It's a floater specimen of brilliant white quartz in marvelous condition! The largest crystal at the center is 6.8 cm long and 4.5 cm broad. It is encompassed by a lovely group of smaller crystals. Along the bottom you can see a white thread running through the crystals so you might call this a "Faden-quartz". The crystals are glassy with some white clouds, sharp and lustrous. At the tip there is a small rough patch but which is no abrasion but rather a very small contact.
Innerer Knorrkogel, Gschlöss valley, East Tyrol, Austria
Size: 12.4 x 7.7 x 4.8 cm
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A three-dimensional landscape of towering adularia, lustrous smoky quartz and some plain white pericline! This Alpine arrangement of quartz and feldspar is gorgeous in its very own untamed, rough way. It has some peripheral contacts but is overall in surprisingly well condition. Even the underside is completely covered in adularia and smoky quartz micro-crystals! Very nice in person and full of beautiful details!
Paprok, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan
Size: 5.3 x 2.9 x 2.3 cm
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Two bright green tourmalines are sticking out from a lovely matrix of lilac lepidolite which privides a very nice color contrast! Both crystals are gemmy and lustrous but show differend terminations: while the larger 4.2 cm crystal has a pointed pyramidal termination, the smaller one is flat but with an unusual surface structure. The overall condition is near-perfect. Only one side-crystal on the base is broken but which doesn't much concern as the focus is of course on the protruding main crystals. Very nice in person and with a 3-dimensional character!
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Binntal magnetites count as the Alps best and are all time classics! While most magnetite is enclosed in mother rock the crystals from this locale are often free, sharp and highly lustrous! The main crystal here is 1.1 cm in diameter and very well placed on a piece of rock matrix. Its octahedral shape is distinctively visible as the crystal stands freely on the rock. The crystal is perfect and of top quality!