DC01 Aphophyllite

Bidkin Well, Bidkin, Aurangabad, India

27.0x 20.7x 9.5 cm

$400

A large cabinet specimen of apophyllite on a stilbite coated matrix from the find at the Bidkin well 2008.

Only a couple of the apophyllites are damaged, (out of hundreds) and you have to be looking for them to find them.

According to a Mineralogical Record article about this find, a few individuals noticed substantial amounts of zeolite in the discarded material from a well expansion project.  Word spread, and the site was eventually explored by mine runners who, due to disagreements over who should be able to remove and profit from specimens, contracted a large local dealer to extract the specimens.

DC02 Fluorite on Quartz (Red!)

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
11.3x 7.0x 2.3 cm

$600

A really nice example of red fluorite, with a pleasantly bright color and a slight orange hue.  There is no oil, and they hemispheres are actually quite lustrous on their own (usually this luster is absent, particularly with the reds).

The quartz matrix is well crystallized, adding to the overall appearance of the specimen.

This color is probably the most sought after of the indian fluorites, and is second in rarity only to the greens, though the green examples don't usually have the visual impact of those with this color.

DC03 Fluorite on Quartz (Orange!)

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
9.1x 4.8x 2.2 cm

$485

A pair of bright orange fluorite hemispheres.  As far as I know, this is a novelty of the last year or so.  Red fluorites have been known for some time now, though have always been extremely rare and intermittently produced.  The oranges seem to be something new, I have only started seeing them within the last couple months and this is one of only 2 that I have had with this color.  

I cannot think of fluorite from any other location with this color... the couple other oranges I have seen have always been much deeper, almost rust colored and closer to yellow. 

DC04 Fluorite on Quartz 

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
13.0x 9.8x 7.0 cm

$685

A cabinet specimen, consisting of a quartz-lined vug containing pastel-red fluorite hemispheres.  As can be seen in the pictures, there is some damage to the quartz stalactites, and a bit of edge chipping on one of the fluorite hemispheres. 

DC05 Fluorite on Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.0x 4.5x 2.7 cm

$385

A complete pastel red fluorite ball on a quartz-lined basalt matrix.  There is obvious peripheral damage to the quartz crystals in the matrix, but the hemisphere itself is in perfect condition.

DC06 Fluorite on Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.8x 6.8x 1.8 cm

$385

A pastel, orangish-red fluorite hemisphere on a quartz coated matrix.  There are also numerous colorless apophyllites scattered about, some on the hemisphere itself.

DC07 Fluorite on Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
5.5x 5.0x 2.5 cm

$200

A bright red fluorite hemisphere on a quartz matrix.  This piece is a bit different from those above, in that it has a slightly translucent appearance and rougher texture.

The ball is intact, but as you can see, the matrix is sort of awkwardly sheared at the top left of the specimen.  In any case, finding a specimen where the fluorite itself is neither damaged nor oiled is extremely difficult, so I am posting it despite the matrix damage... and the price takes that flaw into account.

DC08 Fluorite on Quartz (Green!)

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
6.4x 5.5x 3.2 cm

$385

I think green fluorites have to be the rarest of the hemispheres from this location.  I have only handled two myself, and seen a few online a few years ago.

Many of the so called "green" fluorites from this location are actually yellow.  They appear green because light passes through a thin layer of blue chalcedony below the crystalline quartz, and the combination of this blue light with the yellow fluorite gives a green appearance.

That is not the case with this one!  It is actually green-- when viewed from the side such that light can only pass through the fluorite, the green color becomes apparent.  Also, there is no blue chalcedony layer to influence the color of the fluorite.

This piece has a sawn base (as oriented in the image to the right) with the two balls on opposite sides of the matrix.  It makes for a bit of an awkward display, but then again, it is a rare opportunity to obtain a green fluorite and it is certainly priced MUCH cheaper than the couple I have seen from other dealers.

Please be aware that in person, the hemispheres will appear somewhat darker.  The pictures were taken under intense lighting, which causes the hemispheres to really light up.  Like most of the translucent fluorite hemispheres from this locality, it is best displayed in a lighted cabinet.

DC09 Fluorite on Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
5.5x 4.7x 2.6 cm

$290

A fairly large yellow hemisphere on a scrap of quartz matrix.  The hemisphere has a matte texture (as many of these do when not oiled).  It displays perfectly from the front, and actually wraps around the matrix a bit (see bottom left image)

Please be aware that in person, the hemisphere will appear a bit darker.  The pictures were taken under intense lighting, which causes the hemisphere to light up.  Like most of the translucent fluorite hemispheres from this locality, it is best displayed in a lighted cabinet.

DC10 Spessartine on/in Smokey Quartz

Wuhan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Fujian Prov., China
5.8x 4.5x 2.6 cm

$320

A really nice miniature specimen of bright orange spessartine garnets on smokey quartz.  Unlike most of the specimens available today, the quartz is particularly dark yet extremely transparent, with smooth, lustrous surfaces.

A couple of the quartz crystals also have small INCLUSIONS of spessartine.

 This mine has been producing specimens since 2001.  The best pieces were found near the beginning (this piece is certainly from earlier production)  Specimens from later production often have quartz crystals with weathered surfaces, or only very light gray color.  I have been trying to find good examples of this material at every show I visit, unfortunately they always have substantial damage or some other major flaw.

This is not the largest piece, but for the size range it is very, very good.... and not a quality that you see often, except when released from collections (because nothing like this is being found anymore)

I should also add that this mine has not been very productive over the last 2-3 years.  The site is nearly worked out, and what has recently been found tends to be wholesale grade material.

One of the secondary crystals has some minor chipping visible under a loupe.

DC11 Spessartine on/in Smokey Quartz

Wuhan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Fujian Prov., China

5.1x 4.2x 2.9 cm

$165

A very interesting specimen with a very transparent, lustrous smokey quartz on matrix with many small, bright orange garnets.

I selected this piece because of the very clear and obvious spessartine inclusions neat the terminations.  I have seen a few like this, but the inclusions are almost never as clear.  This is just a really cool specimen.

I should also add that this mine has not been very productive over the last 2-3 years.  The site is nearly worked out, and what has recently been found tends to be wholesale grade material.

DC12 Fluorite, Spessartine 

Wuhan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Fujian Prov., China

3.2x 2.0x 0.8 cm

$135

A thumbnail specimen consisting of an extremely light yellow-green octahedron (nearly colorless)  on a sliver of spessartine-coated albite.

I thought it was a cute thumbnail from the site... please note that there is some damage to the fluorite... due to the frosty nature of the surfaces it is extremely difficult to see unless you look very closely (even in the pictures it is hard to see).  In any case, I thought it was an attractive combination piece.

DC13 Fluorite

Wuhan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Fujian Prov., China

14.0x 6.6x 5.0 cm

$395

A fairly large (for the locality) fluorite octahedron on matrix.

The Wuhan workings are best known for their spessartine and smokey quartz (usually in combinaiton), though over the nearly 11 years that is has been active, the site has also produced a small amount to fluorite and helvite.  Nether was ever particularly common, though not rare on the market either.  Fluorite specimens from here are almost always either yellowish green, or purple.

This is a good example of a fluorite from the site-- often they tend to be weathered, but this one is fairly sharp, and again, somewhat large for the location.  

I should also add that this mine has not been very productive over the last 2-3 years.  The site is nearly worked out, and what has recently been found tends to be wholesale grade material.

DC14 Molybdenite

Dayu Co., Ganzhou Pref., Jiangxi Prov., China
6.6x 5.2x 2.5 cm

$300

A great molybdenite specimen from recent Chinese finds.  The crystal is reasonably large and complete, given what usually tends to be availabl0 for the sepciese.

I have seen a small number of these pieces trickle out over the past couple years.  Most tend to be damaged, so I never bought any before. I have seen a couple crystals to 5-6 inches, this one is a bit more humble, but still an excellent and fairly beautiful example of the species.

DC15 Orpiment

Jiepaiyu Mine, Shimen As- deposit, Shimen Co., Changde Pref., Hunan Prov., China11.7x 7.8x 5.0 cm

$385

A cabinet specimen of elongated orpiment crystals from Shimen.  These are usually heavily damaged and somewhat mistreated (orpiment is particularly susceptible to showing scuff marks), but this piece is in remarkably good condition, all things considered.  Sawn one side.

Good color too.

DC16  Orpiment

Jiepaiyu Mine, Shimen As- deposit, Shimen Co., Changde Pref., Hunan Prov., China

7.3x 5.3x 4.0 cm

$135

A specimen of elongated orpiment crystals from Shimen.  These are usually heavily damaged and somewhat mistreated (orpiment is particularly susceptible to showing scuff marks), but this piece is in remarkably good condition, all things considered.  Sawn on the base and side.

DC17 Veszelyite on Hemimorphite

Laochang ore field, Gejiu Co., Honghe Pref., Yunnan Prov., China11.3x 7.3x 5.0 cm

$300

I will start off by saying that this thing is ugly and somewhat rough looking.... 

With that said, it is a rather large and rich example of this very interesting material.  Veszelyite is primarily known from the Black Pine Mine in Montana (USA), and while the crystals from there reach a couple cm in length, they are generally prohibitively priced.  Unfortunately, up until this very limited Chinese find in 2008, those were the only examples (occasionally) available on the market.

The crystals on this piece are microscopic, but there are a lot of them, and the piece is priced about the same as you would expect for a (much, much smaller) microcrystal coated example from Montana.

DC18 Hubeite on Apophyllite, Quartz

Fengjiashan Mine (Daye copper mine), Daye Co., Huangshi Pref., Hubei Prov., China
6.2x 5.0x 3.9 cm

$225

Hubeite is a rare silicate of calcium, manganese and iron discovered around 2001.  This species is only known from the type location.

This is a particularly rich specimen, with small brown rosettes richly scattered on a matrix of quartz and tabular apophyllite crystals.  There is one bit of damage on the matrix, but the point here is the large amount of hubeite.

This specimen is at least several years old, this material is not being found in this quality any more.  You will probably recall that his is the same location responsible for the inesites, chalotrichites, and amethyst specimens a few years back.

DC19 Stellertie

Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
4.9x 4.1x 3.8 cm

$135

A nice butterfly sheaf of lustrous stellerite on a matrix of heulandite.  Stellerite is not particularly rare, but given the luster and aesthetic formation (they are usually spherical or wheel-shaped) I thought this was a nice example.

DC20 Anatase

Kharran, Baluchistan Prov., Pakistan
15.2x 6.7x 9.5 cm

$200

A large cabinet specimen hosting several anatase crystals and a chlorite included quartz crystal.  I purchased this piece on my trip to Pakistan in October of last year.

DC21 Calcite

Boldut Mine, Cavnic, Marmures Co., Romania
6.3x 4.6x 2.8 cm

$225

A an attractive pair of spherical calcite aggregates on matrix.

When I first started collecting, Romanian minerals were as plentiful as the comparable Peruvian material today.  This days, many of the Romanian mines are closed, and the material is not as common.

DC22 Boulangerite incl. Calcite

Herja Mine, Baia Mare, Marmures Co., Romania (Mined 2001)
3.8x 3.0x 3.1 cm

$140

A very lustrous and entirely complete spherical aggregate of boulangerite included calcite crystals.  This is an example of classic Romanian material.

When I first started collecting, Romanian minerals were as plentiful as the comparable Peruvian material today.  This days, many of the Romanian mines are closed, and the material is not as common.

DC23 Siderite ps. Calcite, Quartz, Pyrite, Galena

Turt Mine, Oasului Mtns, near Satu Mare, Marmures Co., Romania
7.5x 5.0x 2.8 cm

$175

An interesting specimen of siderite psudomorphs after calcite, on a matrix shared by pyrite and quartz, and with galena on the reverse.

When I first started collecting, Romanian minerals were as plentiful as the comparable Peruvian material today.  This days, many of the Romanian mines are closed, and the material is not as common.

DC24 Stibnite

Herja Mine, Baia Mare, Marmures Co., Romania
5.6x 5.1x 2.6 cm

$185

A thin quartz matrix, with multiple clusters of very fine stibnites resting on the edge.

I remember around the time I first started collecting, if you wanted a stibnite you would most likely purchase a Romanian piece.  These days the overwhelming majority of stibnite on the market is from China, and the Romanian mines are closed. 

DC25 Stibnite

Herja Mine, Baia Mare, Marmures Co., Romania
7.0x 4.1x 3.6 cm

$175

A cluster of stibnite crystals on a matrix primarily composed of quartz,

I remember around the time I first started collecting, if you wanted a stibnite you would most likely purchase a Romanian piece.  These days the overwhelming majority of stibnite on the market is from China, and the Romanian mines are closed. 

DC26 Uraninite var. Pitchblende

Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo.
3.7x 3.3x 2.1 cm

$150

Not pretty, but rich and very hot.  I am not sure what the yellow secondaries are, I had a few of these tested a couple years ago (not this one), and probability would dictate uranophane.

In any case, this is a rare example of a Congolese uraninite-- it seems that the secondary U minerals make it out every once in a while depending on if mining is going on, or on who is fighting who.... But uraninite doesn't get found nearly as often.

I would strongly recommend only ordering this if you have a US shipping address...

DC26 Franklinite

Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, New Jersey, United States 
7.9x 4.5x 3.8 cm

$250

A very nice specimen, consisting of multiple franklinite crystals on matrix.  This mine closed in 1986 and the dumps in the area have been a source of specimens for generations of collectors.

Good franklinites like this are harder to find these days though.  There is some chipping as would probably be expected from a mineral as brittle as franklinite, but on the whole, the piece is quite nice for the species, with multiple fairly large, quite sharp, and mostly complete crystals that are particularly well exposed on their matrix.