Mixed Minerals
Tormiq valley, Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Size: 9.9 x 7 x 3.3 cm
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Tormiq is well known for its Alpine type titanite specimens and you can easily see why. This rock matrix is richly covered in grass-green titanite twins up to around 1.5 cm in size. What is very intriguing about the aesthetics here is the divided main view which features said titanite wealth but also a zone of white calcite and albite which nicely contrasts with the green zone. However, the titanite is of very fine quality, lustrous, gemmy and flawless. Unusual composition meets superb quality!
Elba Island, Livorno Province, Tuscany, Italy
Size: 9.5 x 5.8 x 4.5 cm
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Elba Island is one of the great classical localities of Europe and has produce a great many different minerals over the centuries. While, as type locality of elbaite, Elba is primarily known for fine tourmaline specimens, many other great mineral specimens have been unearthed here. This superb specimen is a shiny example for the high quality this locale produced. Highly lustrous hematite crystals up to 2.5 cm in diameter are clustered across a heavy matrix like a sparkling crown. The hematite is associated with small quartz needles as is characteristic for the locale. The metallic luster has a red tinge to it, revealed at closer inspection under direct downlight. This is an outstanding and just staggering hematite specimen from one of the most famous classic locales!
Mundo Nuevo Mine, Mundo Nuevo, Huamachuco, Sanchez Carrion, La Libertad, Peru
Size: 6.9 x 5.3 x 3.9 cm
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This is probably the most aesthetically striking and also best preserved specimen I have seen of this exceptionally rare mineral combination that has been found only at this one locale in Peru! Stacked scheelite crystals are towering above a white quartz cluster and show very well defined octahedral shapes. The scheelite is completely coated in signal yellow stolzite which is extremely rare and definitely gorgeous in person! Unlike most specimens of this type this coating is almost flawless with only very minimal abrasions. The backside shows some hübnerite going up like a spine that supports the scheelite architecture. A spectacular specimen of very unusual character!
Turt Mine, Turt Negresti-Oas, Oas Mts, Satu Mare Co., Romania
Size: 9.5 x 8.1 x 4.3 cm
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This is a marvelous paragenesis of chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite that is rather characteristic for the Turt Mine in Romania where it was found. The specimen is crystallized on all sides with one 2.5 cm contact on the side but no damage! The sculpturesque shape with starkly contrasting association is aesthetic in its very own classic sense! Have a look on our video for a better all-around impression and a better 3-dimensional feeling!
Mt Xuebaoding, Ping Wu, Sichuan Province, China
Size: 7.2 x 6.5 x 3.5 cm
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This excellent cassiterite on mica from Mt. Xuebaoding strikes with absolutely best aesthetics! The single cassiterite crystal is sharply cut and with just brilliant luster! The black crystal is set atop a beautiful matrix of white adularia and sivery tabular muscovite. The muscovite is nicely arranged and composes a fantastic, well balanced base for the main crystal! There is no damage to be found here, only some peripheral contacts but which is invisible from the main view!
Fibbia, Fontana, Central St. Gotthard Massif, Ticino, Switzerland
Size: 9.6 x 7.5 x 4.3 cm
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This iron-rose cluster is a massy piece of high quality. The roses are neatly structured and hold some rutile at the surface. Despite the very fine structure, those nested roses are very thick and show sparkling luster. At the back and the bottom of the specimen you find some matrix, which nicely adds contrast to the overall beauty. A fine piece of imposing size and top quality alike.
Huanzala Mine, Huallanca, Bolognesi Province, Áncash, Peru
Size: 6.5 x 4.6 x 3.6 cm
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Composed of hundreds of little pyrite crystals, this is a gorgeous little specimen that presents its very unique shape! The central part is a rhombic shape, probably resulting from a first generation crystal overgrown with small pyrites. The brass yellow pyrite is of very best luster and nicely developed with sparkling striations! The sculpturesque cluter sits on a small piece of black matrix with some dolomite coating. Best condition, super quality and an overall very much appealing shape!
Grieswies, Rauris, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 6.2 x 3.2 x 2.1 cm
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This crystal shows a very distinctive architecture: A sharp cut sceptre head with nice etchings atop a well proportioned stem. The whole specimen is brilliantly glassy and lustrous with very sharp edges and a pointed termination. The edges are a bit rough but which but apart from one single chip on the backside there is no damage whatsoever! Also the bottom is contacted, not broken. Between head and stem you can see iron oxide inclusions which add extra life and color to the otherwise clear and colorless crystal. A superb little specimen of outstanding design and quality!
Huayllapon Mine, Pasto Bueno District, Pallasca Province, Peru
Size: 9.7 x 8.6 x 6.7 cm
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Special about this piece is the appealing composition on the one hand and the unusually well development of the single pyrite cubes on the other. Every single one of the intergrown brass-yellow crystals is beautifully striated, highly lustrous and with rich details and structures all around! This is definitely one of those specimens that are seen as more-than-just-pyrite but a superb mineral specimen of exceptional quality and beauty! The piece is in best condition with only some contact on the back and minor issues on the side-crystals. Nothing that would distract from the capturing, fascinating beauty of the main pyrite! Some small white quartz crystals around the basis add some contrast yet leaving the main attention to the pyrite. A sparkling specimen of best quality!
Morro Redondo mine, Coronel Murta, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Size: 5.2 x 4.7 x 3.3 cm
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The single main elbaite crystal dramatically stands out from a quartz that’s part lustrous, part covered with some white coating. The rather transparent quartz crystal grants insight towards several other tourmalines that have been enclosed inside the quartz. In fact also the main tourmaline continues on to the very bottom of the piece where it again protrudes from the quartz. It is a high quality pink crystal that’s totally gemmy with superb luster and a complex termination. The color is uniform throughout the crystal but changes to a light greenish at the termination. Beautiful and in very best condition!
Dzhezkazgan, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
Size: 8.2 x 5.7 x 2.9 cm
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Several isolated bornite crystals of dark purplish color are perched on a beautiful quartz studded matrix. While some of the crystals are sharply defined, some others are overgrown by a second bornite generation. The whole piece is without damage down to the smallest quartz crystals. At closer inspection the color is much more divers than seen at first glance. Grey gives way to intensive purple, golden, brown and blue parts. Very attractive and well developed overall!
Camissinone Mine, Zogno, Brembana Valley, Bergamo Province, Lombardy, Italy
Size: 11.9 x 8.1 x 7.4 cm
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This is a complete floater, heavily etched all around yet at some areas still showing the original cubical crystal habit! The color is a combination of very light green and violet, showing very interesting zoning throughout the crystal. Some limonite inclusions add an earthy-brown color here and there though most of the fluorite is just transparent and flawless! It is all complete and perfect all around! A stunning specimen from this important locale which is very remarkable in person!