Carletonite #CAR0001 Poudrette quarry (Demix quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Desourdy quarry), Mont Saint-Hilaire, Rouville Co., Québec, Canada 23.3 mm x 16.3 mm x 14.8 mm $125 SOLD
Description:	Classic deep blue color is what this specimen is all about.  This thumbnail of carletonite shows glassy to waxy luster, with partial crystal faces to 12mm.  For the price, it's a great piece of this rare species from the one and only MSH!

Hydroxylherderite #HDR0001 Xanda Mine, Virgem de Lapa, Minas Gerais, Brazil 32.0 mm x 21.2 mm x 18.5 mm $70 SOLD Order this Specimen
Description:	The Xanda Mine has produced some of the best hydroxylherderite crystals in the 28 known galaxies (another Superman reference).  Seriously, the crystals from this mine differ in that they take on a purple to lavander hue, as is the case with this crystal.  It is a pale pinkish-purple color with well defined crystal faces, and to make things even more interesting, there is a prismatic, shiny schorl crystal, though unterminated, that runs straight up the middle of the hydroxylherderite crystal.  This is a very cute thumbnail for the price.

Tantalite-Mn (Manganotantalite) #TNM0001 Golconda Mine, Governador Valadares Minas Gerais, Brazil 22.0 mm x 19.5 mm x 16.2 mm $90 SOLD
Description:	Heavy for its size (it is one of the densest tranlucent minerals known), this beautiful manganotantalite shows lovely blood red color with a metallic luster, a lot like cinnabar or proustite.  The crystal is very well defined, with sharp faces.  A great locality piece!

Boleite with Pseudoboleite #BOL0003 Amelia Mine, Boleo, Santa Rosalia, Baja California, Mexico 7.5 mm x 7.8 mm x 7.6 mm $65 SOLD Order this Specimen
Description:	This is a very cute, intricate TN of boleite with lovely little "steps" of pseudoboleite that abound in every part of the crystal, especially on the corners.  The color is the typical intense indigo blue, with lustrous faces.  The pics came out a bit blurry ... always happens with boleite for some reason!  But still I think the pics show the intricacy of the specimen.  A tiny mineralogical wonder!

Monazite #MON0001 Ampangabe, Madagascar 22.5 x mm x 15.6 mm x 5.9 mm $85 SOLD
Description:	This is one of my favorite specimens in this update.  Rarely does one find such well defined and lustrous monazite crystals.  And usually they are from Brazil!  But this is a lovely crystal from Madagascar, with amazing form.  Good size, too.  I doubt you will find another like it for the price!

Vauxite #VXT0001 Huanunu, Oruro Department, Bolivia 24.5 mm x 29.4 mm x 25.0 mm $40 Order this Specimen
Description:	This is a very unusual vauxite, and the pics hardly do it justice, as they did not pick up the periwinkle color as intensely as it looks in person.  Nonetheless, you can see that this is basically a sphere of vauxite, which I suspect is partially hollow based on the weight of the specimen (but I don't intend to crack it open to find out!).  And on top of the sphere are numerous well formed, glassy transparent quartz crystals.  Just a lovely example of this rare species!

Belovite and Lovozerite #BLV0001 Lovozero Massif, Kola Penisula, Russia 27.3 mm x 16.6 mm x 14.3 mm $150 SOLD
Description:	This one puzzle me a little, because the old label says belovite-Ce with lovozerite, and I am not sure if the belovite is the entire large crystal or actually part of the crystal that was pseudomorphed.  I think that this was maybe once a fluorapatite crystal that was altered chemically to belovite, and the lovozerite consists of tiny partial black crystals scattered about the belovite crystal.  I have never seen another specimen like this for sale.  When I purchased it, I was confused a little but still very satisfied, because I knew this was a very special piece.

Veszelyite #VSZ0002 Black Pine Mine, Philipsburg, Montana, USA 27.3 mm x 15.2 mm x 12.1 mm $45 SOLD
Description:	Like little blue raspberry candies, veszelyite crystals to 4.3 mm are perched on a couple of quartz crystals with some other pale green phosphates thrown in for good measure.  This is a cute thumbnail for the species, typical for the locale, and it's priced to sell!

Tellurite w/ Paratellurite #TEL0001 Moctezuma Mine (Bambolla Mine), Moctezuma, Mun. de Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico 50.9 mm x 25.2 mm x 23.5 mm $125 Order this Specimen
Description:	This specimen has tellurite crystals which are considered HUGE for the species, at up to 8mm!  The tellurite crystals have lovely yellow-orange color, they are striated, lustrous, and just plain neat!  Scattered across the matrix are grains of grayish paratellurite.  This is a true rarity, and not bad looking either!  Hard to find!

Greenockite #GNK0002 Halkyn, North Wales, UK 42.9 mm x 30.2 mm x 20.6 mm $35 SOLD
Description:	This is more of a locality piece than anything else, as there are no clearly defined crystal faces.  We have a massive piece of sphalerite with a dusting in places of yellow greenockite.  The price reflects that this is not really a display piece, but if you collect rare stuff, like cadmium minerals, or if you like rare UK minerals, than this is a good piece for you.

Ferronigerite-6N6S #NIG0001 Uis,near Brandberg, Namibia 41.2 mm x 29.0 mm x 20.9 mm $95 SOLD
Description:	This Namibian fine set a new standard for the species (well, nigerite is a trickly one, with all the polymorphs).  But I think the pics say it all here ... one main 7mm tabular, well terminated brownish crystal with good luster, perched nicely on matrix.  For what it is, it displays quite well.  Most of the crystals from this find were plucked off their respective matrix, so here is a nice example of one specimen that survived being dismantled.

Boracite #BRC0001 Kalkberg, Luneburg, Germany Max dimension 3.2 mm $25 SOLD
Description:	This specimen is really a group of crystals all for sale together.  Five icy green-blue gemmy cubic crystals with modified corners.  These are really classic locality crystals.  Better appreciated under a loupe, but easily eye visible with crystal faces to over 3.5mm.

Kupletskite #KUP0001 Poudrette quarry (Demix quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Desourdy quarry), Mont Saint-Hilaire, Rouville Co., Québec, Canada 30.4 mm x 23.8 mm x 20.0 mm $135 Order this Specimen
Description:	Another mine MSH rarity, we have brown, platy metallic crystals of kupletskite on a matrix of natrolite with scattered crystals of aegerine.  This is a well-trimmed, very aesthetic small miniature specimen of this rare species.  It is very rich, with crystals over 2cm.  If you collect MSH specimens, or just want something different, rare, and actually attractive, this specimen whill suit you well!

Crocoite (DT Crystal!) #CRO0001 Red Lead Mine, Dundas Mineral Field, Tasmania, Australia 26.8 mm x 8.6 mm x 5.6 mm $85 SOLD
Description:	I know what your saying, its just another Tasmanian crocoite, big deal!  Ehem, wrong!  This is a floater crystal that is actually terminated, and well terminated I might add.  And not just terminated on one end, but its a doubly terminated crystal!  Tasmanian crocoites are a dime a dozen, but you very, very rarely find well terminated crystals, let alone DT crystals.  The color is that amazing reddish orange with classic striations on the prism faces.  The pics can do the rest of the talking!

Iodargyrite and Bromargyrite #IOD0001 Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia 60.4 mm x 48.3 mm x 30.5 mm $420 Order this Specimen
Description:	Now this is a rare one!  We have pale yellow bromargyrite crystals scattered about a rusty matrix, with some grayish yellow iodargyrite crystals as well.  The crystals reach about 5 mm in size, and are very well formed.  This is a very unique specimen, and these silver halides rarely form in crystals larger than micro size, but here you can clearly view and appreciate them.  I have cherished this specimen for many years, since I have never found another of its size with such great crystal coverage and quality of crystals.  Very nice stuff!

Liroconite #LIR0001 Wheal Gorland, St Day, Gwennap - St Day Area, Camborne - Redruth - St Day District, Cornwall, England, UK 38.7 mm x 26.6 mm x 20.5 mm $365 SOLD
Description:	You know what this is!  You know they are rare, and you know you want it!  This is a piece of rusty brown limonitic matrix with coating of massive liroconite, and in the center there is a vug where the liroconite has crystallized with crystals to about 4mm, showing shiny faces with that typical wedge shaped termination that liroconite is famous for.  Not often do you come across a miniature-sized specimen of liroconite with such aesthetics.  There is liroconite all over the matrix, of a color that is unique to this species in all the mineral world, which helps make this rare species so desireable.  This piece was probably mined over 100 years ago.  Very cool!

Henmilite #HML0001 Fuka Mine, Bicchu Town, Kawakama Co., Okayama Prefecture, Japan 46.9 mm x 24.0 mm x 16.5 mm $100 SOLD
Description:	Henmilite crystals from this Japanese find set the standard for the species!  Many of these specimens have come to the market over the past couple of years, but this is a fine miniature that stands out based on crystal size and coverage.  The pics made the crystals look almost black, but trust me that they are indeed a fine, deep indigo blue, and they are aesthetically arranged on the miniature-sized matrix.  Crystals to 4mm.

Stolzite #STZ0001 Ste Lucie Mine, Lozere, France 15.5 mm x 14.8 mm x 5.5 mm $160 SOLD Order this Specimen
Description:	The tungsten analog of wulfenite, stolzite is much less common and only comes in well formed crystals from a handful of locales worldwide, such as Broken Hill, and this locale in France.  This crystal is a very fine example for the species, extremely well-formed, with an enticingly intricate pattern of small parallel crystal faces on the main display face of the crystal, and great proportions overall.  In other words, the crystal has a good thickness to it, whereas some of stolzite from this locale are almost paper thin on gossan matrix.  This crystal is a floater, with only minor traces of matrix on the backside and in a few other areas.  As far as stolzites go, this one may be a thumbnail but it is the best thumbnail I have seen for the species from this locale!

Back to Latest Updates Page!