Sold Minerals
La Marina Mine, Pauna, Colombia
Size: 4.1 x 3.4 x 2.3 cm
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This is truly an eye-candy from the La Marina Mine! It is a combination of fluorapatite with albite on barite with a distinctly three-dimensional character. The main aggregate of light pink apatite is stunningly beautiful, highly lustrous and gemmy. It is towering over a brilliant combination of sparkling white albite and yellowish tabular barite. The whole composition is amazingly beautiful, of highest quality and in superb condition!
Großer Happ, Venedigergruppe, Hohe Tauern, Prägraten, Osttirol, Austria
Size: 20 x 12 x 9.1 cm
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Snow white pericline and pristine adularia on a piece of beautiful natural matrix! It is a wonderful specimen indeed that strikes with size, quality and composition alike! The whole specimen is in exceptionally well condition with pericline crystals reaching over 3 cm and a large adularia that's 4.2 cm in diameter! Those white crytals sit attractively on a grey matrix of chlorite and feldspar. A spectacular sight of Alpine beauty!
Dorfertal, Hohe Tauern, Prägraten, East Tyrol, Austria
Size: 4.3 x 3.3 x 2.1 cm
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This rare pyrite specmen from the Dorfertal near Prägraten am Großvenediger was found around 2016 at works for the settling basin at the serpentine quarry. It is a singel cubical pyrite in rust-brown color that shows strong striations on all sides. The pyrite is set on a contrasting white feldspar matrix that is an undamaged floater. The crystal itself is flawless too.
Tormiq valley, Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Size: 8.5 x 5.9 x 3.1 cm
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This wonderful quartz is a complete and flawless floater! Not only is the main quartz free of even the smalles abrasions. But also every single side-crystal as well as the actinolithe heavy underside are crystallized and perfect. The quartz is transparent with rich and beautiful actinolithe inclusions which color the quartz green, especially near the matrix. Elegant, attractive and of best quality!
'Mbumba, Pimbi hill, Mindouli District, Pool Dept., Republic of the Congo
Size: 9 x 6 x 3.8 cm
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The crystal quality on this magnificently sparkling specimen is really top notch! Highly brilliant with a very intense dark color and completely undamaged!
The dioptases sit on a matrix that is in parts coated with the extremely rare copper silicate Plancheite, which offers a wonderful color contrast and amazing beauty!
Compared to such famous sites as Tsumeb or Reneville, Pimbi Hill with the 'Mbumba Mine is much lesser-known.
Work at the Mbumba mine began in the early 80's and produced a moderate number of excellent dioptase specimens, often in combination with plancheite.
However, the mine was never operated continuously and stood still for a long time. More recent finds did not come onto the market again until 2012-2013. This piece comes from the old finds of the 80s and has been in the collection of the copper mineral collector Thomas Weiland from Vienna.
Kristallwand, Frosnitztal, East Tyrol, Austria
Size: 4.5 x 3.2 x 2.1 cm
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The single 2.2 cm titanite twin on this super aesthetic specimen has top-notch quality! It is gemmy and sharp and with brilliant luster. The color is a beautiful warm amber brown which is characteristic for Kristallwand. The crystal is set on a lovely crystallized matrix with feldspar and titanite micro-crystals which strongly emphasizes the main titanite. It's a breathtaking specimen for sure and in very good condition. One small chip at the tip is not visible from the front, the rest is flawless.
Zinggenstock, Grimsel area, Hasli valley, Berner Oberland, Switzerland
Size: 5.1 x 3.1 x 2.6 cm
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One complete and flawless fluorite octahedron is beautifully presented on a characteristic piece of Zinggenstock-matrix. The fluorite is pink and translucent to even transparent and it is very well defined. It has sharp edges while the crystal faces themselves are etched. A beautiful and aesthetic single crystal specimen from this classic locale!
Turbhorn, Binntal, Wallis, Switzerland
Size: 13.4 x 6.2 x 4.4 cm
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This piece features a single 9.2 cm long quartz sitting aesthetically on a piece of matrix overgrown with fine calcite. The crystal is transparent, lustrous, sharp-edged and in excellent condition. Only at one point on the backside, where an internal crack reaches the surface, a small ding is visible. Through the crystal runs a distinctive white "faden". The corresponding growth irregularity can also be seen on the surface. Take a look on our video for a better impression!
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A very interesting and appealing specimen is this wonderful magnetite from Imilchil, Morocco. The piece has a rich number of magnetites up to 1,5 cm on edge. The matrix is basically a mix of orthoclase and limonite, which makes for a beautiful contrast to the metallic black magnetite. The condition here is extremely well and the aesthetics is highly appealing! The crystals are sharp, lustrous and well shaped.
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A lovely little quartz group that I like extremely well in terms of composition, but also for its excellent quality. The piece features a central main crystal aesthetically framed by secondary crystals. On the right side, two crystals protrude a little further, which gives the whole thing an attractive asymmetry. The back is a bit rough, but not broken. A brilliant little specimen in overall splendid condition!
Grieswies, Rauris, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 17 x 16.4 x 12.4 cm
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This is one of the best quartz specimens I am aware of the Austrian Alps. The Rauris valley is famous for producing quartz specimens. Most of the crystals which have been found there are not balanced very well or just have big contacts, no luster or bad damage. This specimen is different, it has great luster, aesthetics and is in combination with well crystallized pericline. The impressive crystal in combination with the pericline makes this specimen to a true killer from the Austrian Alps. The collector Alois Steiner found this specimen around 40 years ago while my father, a collector of Austrian minerals, bought it from him in 2003. Since then, it has been one of the center pieces in his collection. He decided to let this piece go just because he has got a very similar substitute last summer. Normally it is impossible to get such a good quality on a specimen of this caliber. Better in person!
Tormiq valley, Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Size: 6.8 x 5.7 x 2.8 cm
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When I got this marvel out of the lab I was totally overwhelmed! The rather large hematite rose dramatically sits atop a white contrasting albite matrix of stunning sparkling quality. The hematite itself is 3.3 cm in diameter and massive 1.2 cm thick, all perfect and of brilliant luster. I totally love the aesthetics of this very well balanced piece that is a real eye-catcher in person and free of any damage. If you look closely you can even make out some small apple green titanite among the albite. Absolutely outstanding and impressive!