Mixed Minerals!

A selection of mixed minerals from around the world.

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WG01 Elbaite Tourmaline on Quartz
Stak Nala, Haramosh Mtns., Northern Areas, Pakistan
6.1x 3.1x 2.7 cm
$580

A beautiful example of tourmaline from Stak Nala, featuring a doubly terminated crystal with the characteristic zoning, perched on another doubly terminated quartz crystal-- it appears to be a floater.  Most of the Stak Nala pieces you see these days have green caps, and the ones that have pink caps have mostly been irradiated-- you can tell by the extra saturation of the pink band.  This is an older piece, and the light pink cap and colorless band below it indicate that it is, in fact, untreated. It also does have a thinner green cap on the bottom termination.

All in all it is a beautifully balanced piece, a floater with a double terminated tourmaline and quartz.











WG02 Cerussite
Touissit, Jerada Prov., Morocco
4.5x 4.0x 2.0 cm
$395

A beautiful cluster of cerussite crystals from Morocco.  It is actually mostly complete on the reverse as well, and could easily pass for a Tsumeb piece.







WG03 Wulfenite
Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico
5.0x 4.2x 3.7 cm
$450

Although this location has recently produced a small amount of material, this is a classic piece with  a label dating it to at least 1968.  The incredible wet luster of the wulfenite crystals also attests to its age-- that was the general period when this location produced its best examples.  There are a couple crystals with a bit of minor edge rubbing, but overall it is an excellent example and displays exactly as pictured.











WG04 Calcite
Berry Materials Corp. Quarry (North Vernon Plant), North Vernon, Jennings Co., Indiana
6.6x 4.4x 5.0 cm
$335

A rather large, deeply colored calcite from the Berry Materials Quarry in Indiana.  The American Midwest is home to numerous quarries that produce everything from frac sand to food grade lime.  Many of these locations also happen to produce interesting calcites, and the habits often vary substantially from quarry to quarry.  Perhaps the most distinctive (and certainly my favorite) are the examples from the Berry Materials Quarry-- they tend to be a bit more rounded in appearance, have better color, and are often quite lustrous.  This one is a bit larger (and also more elongated than most) and is a particularly nice example.











WG06 Calcite
Knoxville, Marion Co., Iowa, United States
12.7x 8.8x 7.5 cm
$365

A very nice (and old) example of Calcite from Iowa.  Apart from the pieces recently produced at the Linwood Mine, not very many minerals come from this state. This piece dates to the 1960's, and features a spray of calcite prfectly positioned on a dark matrix covered with smaller calcites.  There are even a number of tabular yellow barites sprnkled around.  There is a smaller cluster on the lower front that is broken (pictured.) 









WG07 Plumbogummite ps. Pyromorphite
Daoping-Yangshuo Orebody, Guilin Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang A.R., China
8.5x 4.6x 3.7 cm
$385

A nice cabinet sized example of plumbogummite after pyromorphite, from the find made approximately 2-3 years ago.









WG08 Plumbogummite ps. Pyromorphite
Daoping-Yangshuo Orebody, Guilin Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang A.R., China
8.2x 4.7x 4.1 cm
$365

A nice cabinet sized example of plumbogummite after pyromorphite, from the find made approximately 2-3 years ago.









WG09 Clinoatacamite Quartz Malachite Chrysocolla
Lily Mine (Lilly Mine), Pisco Umay, Ica Department, Peru
11.7x 9.0x 4.5 cm
$400

A large cabinet specimen of rare clinoatacamite, on druzy covered malachite and chrysocolla.  This is from the find made approximately 3 years ago.  There is clinoatacamite sprinkled throughout, but the best crystals are on the lower portion of the specimen.









WG10 Pyromorphite
Daoping-Yangshuo Orebody, Guilin Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang A.R., China
3.3x 2.8x 1.5 cm
$165

A very bright green cluster of pyromorphite crystals, form China.







WG11 Beryl var. Aquamarine
Shigar Valley, Skardu, Northern Areas, Pakistan
3.2x 2.6x 2.7 cm
$165

A nice, doubly terminated aquamarine with good blue color, on a bit of albite matrix.







WG12 Epidote
Bendoukou, Kayes Region, Mali
9.7x 8.5x 3.8 cm
$385

A very dramatic cluster of epidote from Mali.  Epidotes from this location are usually unremarkable in and of themselves, and on most specimens are usually just an accessory or matrix for the prehnite that they are often associated with.  This is a beautiful specimen in its own right, with two stacked, yet slightly (and aesthetically) offset crystals backed by a number of smaller ones.









WG13 Fluorite on Arsenopyrite
Huanggang Mine, Hexigten Banner (Keshiketeng Co.), Ulanhad League (Chifeng Prefecture), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
10.5x 6.9x 5.0 cm
$395

A nice cabinet sized specimen featuring a lavender purple fluorite octahedron on a sulfide rich (mostly arsenopyrite) matrix.  Purple was always one of the less common fluorite colors from this location-- colorless was probably the most common, followed by pink, then purple and green. A pretty specimen from finds made several years ago at the Huanggang Mine.











WG14 Strontianite with Fluorite
Minerva No. 1 Mine, Cave-in-Rock, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA
8.3x 5.4x 5.8 cm
$335

A rich, cabinet sized specimen of this strontium carbonate from the Illinois Fluorspar District.  Although the area was best known for its fluorite specimens, it also produced a number of rare (relatively) carbonates-- alstonite, benstonite, witherite, strontianite, etc.  

The Minerva #1 Mine closed in 1996.









WG15 Chalcedony var
Mamiju Area, Sulawesi Barat Prov., Sulawesi, Indonesia
14.0x 6.5x 3.7 cm
$165

A cabinet sized specimen of medium purple "grape" agate from recent finds in Indonesia.









WG16 Calcite
Webb City, Tri-State District, Jasper Co., Missouri, USA
9.0x 6.5x 8.0 cm
$300

A very old calcite specimen from one of the oldest localities in the Tri-State District-- the last mine in the greater Tri-State area closed in 1967, but the mining activity around Webb City took place mostly between 1870 and 1930, with nearly 700 active mines in the area at its peak.

This is a nice group of scalenohedrons with elongated marcasite inclusions inside the crystals.  As was standard practice among miners in those days, it has been lightly cleaned with acid.  There are also small cleaves/ chips on the terminations, but again-- this is an OLD piece, and it is next to impossible to find *anything* from Webb City these days.

If the pictures look slightly purple on screen, be advised that it is colorless-- this is not one of the fabled Webb City purples, though incandescent light does bring out a very very slight hue that the camera seems to have picked up on and exaggerated (I had to reduce the saturation) so clearly there is a bit of whatever impurity causes that color present.









WG17 Elbaite Tourmaline
Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil
4.7x 0.6x 0.5 cm
$165

A nicely colored blue ("indicolite") tourmaline from Brazil.







WG18 Elbaite Tourmaline
Minas Gerais, Brazil
2.8x 1.5x 1.0 cm
$140

A beautiful thumbnail of pink and green tourmaline from somewhere in Minas Gerias-- I don't know exactly where, but with the rising popularity of tourmaline, I'm guessing there are at least a few of you out there who can match this to a particular mine.









WG19 Elbaite Tourmaline
Minas Gerais, Brazil
2.4x 1.6x 1.3 cm
$100

A beautiful thumbnail of pink and green tourmaline from somewhere in Minas Gerias-- I don't know exactly where, but with the rising popularity of tourmaline, I'm guessing there are at least a few of you out there who can match this to a particular mine.









WG20 Chrysoberyl var. Alexandrite
Carnaiba mining district, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil
2.9x 2.5x 1.3 cm
$400

A decently sized cyclic twin of chrysoberyl forming a nice sixling.  









WG21 Chrysoberyl var. Alexandrite
Carnaiba mining district, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil
2.4x 1.9x 1.5 cm
$300

An excellent thumbnail of twinned alexandrite, with a nice sixling sitting on a bit of matrix.  A very well balanced thumbnail.









WG22 Chrysoberyl var. Alexandrite
Carnaiba mining district, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil
2.4x 2.2x 1.6 cm
$270

A well formed, thumbnail sized alexandrite sixling from Brazil.







WG23 Chrysoberyl var. Alexandrite
Carnaiba mining district, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil
1.9x 1.65x 0.8 cm
$125

A nice thumbnail sized example of Brazilian alexandrite, consisting of a nice sixling perched atop another smaller crystal.







WG24 Chrysoberyl var. Alexandrite
Carnaiba mining district, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil
1.7x 1.5x 0.85
$95

A nice thumbnail sized example of an alexandrite sixling from Brazil.







WG25 Molybdenite
Wolfram Camp, Queensland, Australia
8.7x 5.1x 2.3 cm
$395

A large molybdenite crystal from Australia.  As you might expect from such a soft mineral, the edges are a bit rounded, but it shows excellent overall form.  I think the price is very good, considering the size and what I usually see dealers trying to sell them for (and not surprisingly, not selling them.)









WG26 Galena
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
3.4x 3.0x 2.8 cm
$300

"Why," you ask, "is he trying to sell an unremarkable galena for $300?  Because it is a spinel twin!?"

Because it is from Mina Ojuela.  As prolific as this mine has been, and as common as galena has been elsewhere, galena specimens from Mina Ojuela are nearly unheard of.  I would not have believed that this one was from Ojuela either, except that it came from a reputable dealer of Mexican minerals who actually travels directly to the mines, this was one of just a few pieces he obtained.  

As an indicator of how rare these are, there are only 3 examples shown on Mindat, and this one probably has them all beaten.  There is a contact near the top, but quite frankly, who cares? It's an Ojuela galena.







WG27 Cobaltite
Brazil Lake occurrence, Foster Township, Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada
8.3x 6.7x 3.3 cm
$300

A very nice example of cobaltite from Canada, dating to at least the 1970's.  There is some chipping on the top edge, visible from the side where the crystal is more well exposed.  All in all, it is a pretty decently sized crystal from the locality-- the only other contemporary location (that I am aware of) that produced good specimens was Hakansboda, Sweden, also around the 60's and 70's.









WG28 Andradite Garnet
Bendoukou, Sandare District, Kayes Region, Mali
6.9x 5.9 x 4.8 cm
$185

A large relatively isolated andradite garnet crystal from Mali.  These are usually more jumbled,  This does have some contacting the reverse, but displays as shown.









WG29 Uraninite
Bird's Creed, Ontario, Canada
5x 3.5x 1.6 cm
$200

A sharp uranininte cube on a reddish matrix, from Canada.  This is an older specimen, the locality is scribbled on the back of a business card from "The Mineral Inn" out of Roanoke, Illinois, along with the date 1971.  Matrix uraninite crystals are not very easy to find-- the most common (relatively) examples tend to come from Topsham, Maine and are almost always off matrix.







WG30 Uraninite
Cardiff Mine, Haliburton Co., Ontario, Canada
6.4x 4.7x 4.4 cm
$185

A rare matrix example of uraninite, this one is a slightly rounded cubic crystal associated with calcite, apatite and mica.









WG31 Uraninite
Cardiff Mine, Haliburton Co., Ontario, Canada
4.2x 2.9x 1.8 cm
$185

A rare matrix specimen of uraninite, with a cubic crystal associated with calcite, apatite, and mica.







WG32 Painite
Hinthar-taung, Wet-loo, Kyauk-Pyat-That, Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Region, Myanmar
4.0x 1.6x 1.2 cm
$365

An exceptionally large crystal of painite-- crystals 2 cm are hard enough to find, this thing is a relative monster at 4.0.

Up until several years ago, this rare borate was touted as the world's rarest gemstone, with fewer than 20 carefully documented crystals having been collected since its discovery in the 1950's.  Then in late 2005, the source was discovered, and they were finally made available to collectors.

It may look like a chocolate bar that's been lost in a sofa for years, but it's a good rock.







WG33 Petalite
Shengus, Skardu District, Northern Areas, Pakistan
8.5x 3.7x 3.8 cm
$420

A large, etched crystal of petaline from Pakistan. Nearly all the crystals I have seen in recent years have come from Burma, and some from Italy. For whatever reason, wherever they come from, they are nearly always etched to some degree.  This one very large in comparison to most I have seen, and Pakistani examples are also significantly harder to find than pieces from the other main locations.







WG34 Sphalerite
Standard Slag Quarry, Adams Co., Ohio, United States
2.7x 2.0x 1.5 cm
$85

A beautiful, wonderfully balanced thumbnail with a bright orange ball of sphalerite crystals that is also lightly iridescent.









WG35 Sphalerite
Standard Slag Quarry, Adams Co., Ohio, United States
2.2x 1.5x 1.4 cm
$85

A beautiful thumbnail sized specimen of orange sphalerite with rather strong iridescence, from Ohio.  Unusual material that is seldom seen outside of the American Midwest.







WG36 Sphalerite
Standard Slag Quarry, Adams Co., Ohio, United States
2.2x 1.2x 1.4 cm
$85

A beautiful thumbnail sized specimen of orange sphalerite with decent iridescence, from Ohio.  Unusual material that is seldom seen outside of the American Midwest.











WG37 Sphalerite
Standard Slag Quarry, Adams Co., Ohio, United States
2.1x 1.9x 1.3 cm
$75

A beautiful thumbnail sized specimen of orange sphalerite with iridescence that is mainly visible when light is shined from a particular angle, from Ohio.  Unusual material that is seldom seen outside of the American Midwest.









WG38 Copper ps. Cuprite
Rubtsovskoe Cu-Zn-Pb deposit, Rudnyi Altai, Altaiskii Krai, Western-Siberian Region, Russia
2.2x 1.9x 1.9 cm
$185

A beautiful thumbnail example of an octahedral cuprite crystal that has pseudomorphed to copper.  These were found around 2011, and were far less abundant than the cuprite crystals that flooded the market.  







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