International Minerals
Tongren Mine , Bijiang, Tongren Prefecture, Guizhou, China
Size: 8 x 6.4 x 3.9 cm
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One extremely sharp and gemmy cinnabar crystal is set on a characteristic dolomite/rock matrix. The crystal shows fantastic brigth red color and a very distinctive and flawless twin-architecture! In picture 2 and 4 you can see the crystal in natural light, picture 1 and 3 attach direct backlight.
The crystal is set on contrasting cream-colored dolomite that is grown on grey rock matrix. This contrast very much emphasizes the cinnabar crystal!
This rare beauty is from an old find when some of the best cinnabar was found in China.
Killa Saifullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan
Size: 8.2 x 8 x 2.7 cm
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Vivid yellow brucite of nice botryoidal growth is set on a grey piece of matrix. The largest sphere-like shape is around 3 cm long, gemmy, lustrous and of bright yellow color which is an amazing feature of brucite from this unique locale!
The condition is extremely well even at the edges and backside.
Killa Saifullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan
Size: 4 x 3.2 x 2.2 cm
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The quality of this spherical brucite specimen is absolutely wonderful and stunning! It's gemmy, lustrous, perfectly crystallized all around and with the most vibrant lemon-yellow color you can find! The shape is very distinctive, compact and crystallized all around. An outstanding specimen of this marvelous and appealing mineral!
Berbes Mining area, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain
Size: 10.2 x 7.3 x 5.8 cm
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Considering how beautiful these fluorites from the Berbes mining area can get it is unfortunate that the mines are no longer active and deeply buried unter debris. This is an unusually fine exemplar from a brighter period that features a rich number of purple fluorite cubes on a background of sparkling white quartz and ivory barite. The Fluorites are up to 1.5 cm on edge, glassy and lustrous with gorgeous surface structures! The crystals are almost colorless near the surface but are filled with a purple color that gets more and more satiated the deeper it gets. A rarity that's very nice to look upon and in outstanding condition!
Mundo Nuevo Mine, Mundo Nuevo, Huamachuco, Sanchez Carrion, La Libertad, Peru
Size: 6.3 x 5.5 x 3.3 cm
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A relatively large and sharp tetrahedrite cluster sits in the middle of a nice spray of white quartz crystal. The coronal shape reminds me of some cristmas decoration that beautifully centers on the main attraction, the metallic tetrahedrite. The crystals are largely intact, only small abrasions are to be found at closer inspection. The surface has a thin grey coating that covers the otherwise mirroring tetrahedrite. A rare specimen of very catchy, 3-dimensional composition!
Kongsberg Silver Mining District, Kongsberg, Buskerud, Norway
Size: 4.5 x 3.6 x 1.2 cm
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A classic miniature specimen of solid silver from Kongsberg. The single claw-like structure that protrudes from the top defines the distinctive shape and makes the piece unique and attractive. A interplay of oxidised silver on the outer surface and bright shiny zones in countless cavities brings the piece to live as if there was some inner glow! A nice classic piece without any downsides!
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Several single isolated anatase crystals up to around 1 cm long are spread across a pristine white albite matrix. The bi-pyramidal crystals are undamaged, sharp and highly lustrous! Backside and bottom are completely crystallized. It's a lovely specimen in very best condition!
Zard Mts., Kharan, Balochistan, Pakistan
Size: 7.3 x 4.9 x 3 cm
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It's a rather natural matrix that features a single main anatase on the right and a group of quartz crystals on the left side. This arrangement very much emphasizes the anatase which is a sharp and highly lustrous crystal. With strong direct illumination you can see a strikingly blue zone towards the termination and gemmy brown patches further down. This 1.1 cm main crystal is accompanied my several anatase micro-crystals, scattered over the rock surface.
Morro Velho mine, Nova Lima, Iron Quadrangle, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Size: 8.2 x 6.1 x 2.3 cm
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Lovely colorless and translucent dolomite crystals are adorned with second generation tabular pyrrhotite and small acicular cubanite. The backside is simple grey rock but with some attached pyrrhotite that must have grow after the piece detached. A very nice and attractive specimen of rare material from the world's oldest gold mine that shut down in 2003 after 278 years of mining!
Yaogangxian Mine, Yizhang Co., Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, China
Size: 13.7 x 11.6 x 6.2 cm
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This excellent large cabinet sized specimen shows an association of colorful fluorites and milky white, highly lustrous quartz. The fluorite comes as glassy cubes with green at the center and purple along the edges. A very nice combination that stands out among the white quartz. The quartz itself shows brilliant luster and is sharply developed. What is special are well defined phantoms inside the quartz! The whole specimen is in excellent condition with some edge-wear on the quartz but no actual breaks. Very good and very attractive in person!
Ilfeld, Nordhausen, Harz Mts, Thuringia, Germany
Size: 7.2 x 4.1 x 4.9 cm
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The classic manganite from Ilfeld in Germany are considered to be the best of this species which becomes obvious when you look at this very specimen! The black and white contrast is absolutely top on this well balanced piece. A snow-white barite cluster at the right more and more gives way to metallic black manganite the more left you look. From this complex black and white cluster one single manganite crystal emerges. It is around 1.8 cm long, 1.4 cm thick and of uttermost perfection!
The whole piece is in best condition with a cut bottom, which was usual at the time this piece was found, some hundred years ago. A European classic of great aesthetics as our video very well shows!
Shigar Valley, Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Size: 5.5 x 4.5 x 3.7 cm
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A characteristic specimen of spessartine on feldspar that offers great contrast and sparkling gem red crystals. The largest garnet is 1.2 cm in diameter, sharp and lustrous as are the other crystals that cover the feldspar matrix. Very attractive and in best condition!