Fluorite
Strzegom, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
CaF2, Isometric
max. 26mm
An example of scarce and prized material from Grabina quarries located in pegmatites of Strzegom-Sobótka massif. This particular specimen is relatively sizeable and shows the range of violets one may expect from the material from this locality. It is an octahedral floater with minor damages, exhibiting typical, fine crystallisation with visible growth figures.
Quartz var. Cactus Quartz
Boekenhouthoek, Mpumalanga, South Africa
SiO2, Trigonal
max. 32mm
An example of cactus quartz variety where a central crystal is covered with smaller, outward-pointing crystals of a second generation. This particular specimen is heavily included with iron ions of various oxidation levels resulting in colour zoning with sharp contrast between lilac amethyst and rusty citrine.
Fluorite
La Barre Mine, Puy de Dôme, France
CaF2, Isometric
max. 19mm
An excellent example of zoned fluorite from a famous, French locality. This specimen features a bright, yellow core and deep blue and purple bands. The crystal is complete on 3 faces and the remaining 3 show recrystallisation.
Fluorite
La Barre Mine, Puy de Dôme, France
CaF2, Isometric
max. 19mm
An excellent example of zoned fluorite from a famous, French locality. This specimen features a bright, yellow core and deep blue and purple bands. The crystal is complete on 3 faces and the remaining 3 show recrystallisation.
Prehnite
Djouga diggings, Kayes Region, Mali
Ca2Al(Si2Al)O10(OH)2
max. 19mm
Two intersecting botryoidal groupings of prehnite crystals.
Tourmaline var. Rubellite
Ankarinarivo Pegmatite, Vakinankarata, Madagascar
Na(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)4, Trigonal
max. 23mm
An excellent example of malagasy elbaite. This particular specimen stands out thanks to both its quality and unusual, tabular shape.
Beryl var. Aquamarine on Fluorite
Erongo Mountains, Erongo, Namibia
Be3Al2(Si6O18), Hexagonal | CaF2, Isometric
max. 24mm
A specimen representing an uncommon mineral association of a terminated, highly saturated aquamarine and a bicolour, cubic fluorite.
Tourmaline var. Verdelite
Skardu Area, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Na(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)4, Trigonal
max. 28mm
An example of a bicolour, doubly terminated elbaite crystal with green body and pale, bluish terminations from one of the classic localities.
Edit: the title should list spessartine as a species not a variety
Garnet sp. Spessartine on Quartz var. Smoky
Wushan Spessartine Sites, Fujian, China
(Mn2+)3Al2(SiO4)3, Isometric | SiO2, Trigonal
max. 32mm
A specimen representing the classic association of spessartine garnets and smoky quartz from the famous, chinese locality. This particular piece features a number of golden and orange, gemmy spessartine crystals sprinkled atop a perfectly water-clear smoky quartz crystal and is belived to have come from the earliest site production (1998-2001). Once abundant in the market, currently this type of specimens is limited to releases from collections as the site is now within the borders of a national park.
Please note that the use of "Wushan Spessartine Sites" insted of "Wushan Spessartine Mine" for the locale name is deliberate and not a mistake. Given unclear factual status of this locality production, it is more likely to reflect actual conditions of specimens being collected across several sites scattered around the Wu mountain area insted of being mined in a singular mine.
Quartz var. Amethyst
Boudi, Souss-Massa, Morocco
max. 25mm
SiO2, Trigonal
A pefectly TN-sized example of hourglass amethyst from one-of-a-kind locale in the Central Anti-Atlas massif.
Fluorite
Okorusu, Namibia
max. 21mm
CaF2, Isometric
An example of relatively new production from Namibian mine Okorusu. Most desirable specimens exhibit a crosslike colour zoning; with purple hearts contrasting sharply against mint green bodies of crystals and deep blue bands towards the outer edges.
Malachite
Katanga, DR Congo
max. 28mm
Cu2(CO3)(OH)2, Monoclinic
Two intertwined malachite stalactites from Congolese region of Katanga typically associated with the species.
Quartz var. Amethyst
Vera Cruz, Mexico
Vera Cruz is a classic locality for ametysths. However, this particular piece has the aesthetics to make it worth my collection which truly appreciates the beauty and uniqueness. Perfectly shaped crystals forming a V just hit the spot.
Corundum var. Sapphire
Niwitigalla, Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
max. 26mm
Al2O3, Trigonal
This peculiar specimen of a sapphire from a classic lacality present an extremely unusual pattern of growth resulting in multiple "bends" of crystal axis. The multigenerational growth exhibits a certain repetition of conditions with crystals being bright yellow in the beginning and turning deep, dark blue at their terminations.
Corundum var. Sapphire
Niwitigalla, Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
max. 26mm
Al2O3, Trigonal
This peculiar specimen of a sapphire from a classic lacality present an extremely unusual pattern of growth resulting in multiple "bends" of crystal axis. The multigenerational growth exhibits a certain repetition of conditions with crystals being bright yellow in the beginning and turning deep, dark blue at their terminations.