Mixed Minerals!

A large and exceptionally rich cabinet specimen of clinoatacamite, hosting numerous dark green clusters of the mineral set against a matrix covered by blue chrysocolla over quartz.

 

I purchased a large lot of Lilly Mine material while in Peru, the bulk of the specimens were mainly just druses of quartz over chrysocolla or malachite, though there were a small quantity of these very rare clinoatacamite specimens as well.

 

The majority of the examples I have seen have the crystals somewhat jumbled together, or set against dark green malachite matrixes.  As a result, the crystals can be hard to properly appreciate.  The contrasting background and distinct nature of the crystals and crystal clusters make the clinoatacamite on this piece easier to discern and appreciate.

 

There are some blemishes to the display face, though overall the specimen is exactly as shown.

An exceptionally rich cabinet specimen of this rare thallium bearing mineral, hosting numerous elongated bright crystals sprinkled on a matrix of matte gray sulfides.

An rich cabinet specimen of this rare thallium bearing mineral, hosting numerous elongated bright crystals sprinkled on a matrix of matte gray sulfides.  

An rich cabinet specimen of this rare thallium bearing mineral, hosting numerous elongated bright crystals sprinkled on a matrix of matte gray sulfides.  

An rich specimen of this rare thallium bearing mineral, hosting numerous elongated bright crystals sprinkled on a matrix of matte gray sulfides.  

A beautiful example of radiating ilvaite crystals, lightly coated by green hedenbergite.  While the majority of ilvaites recovered from the location have been single crystals, these ball-shaped clusters were among the first to come from the mine, back in 2010-2011.

A radiating cluster of ilvaite, coated first with hedenbergite and then a successive layer of another greenish white mineral. Although I have seen quite a few of these--this habit of ilvaite was among the first type of specimen to come from the mine-- this is the only specimen I have seen with this odd white-ish coating.  At first I thought it might be a pseudomorph (it isn't) but regardless, I liked the clean and sculptural appearance of this very unique piece.

A ball-shaped cluster of pointy powellite crystals, with a bit of matrix.  Powellite is one of the most sought after minerals from the Deccan plateau-- unlike most of the zeolite species that are also found there (stilbite, heulandite, etc.) this species has never been found in any appreciable quantity.  With that said, these days, you would probably see a higher asking price in the room of an Indian dealer in Tucson, if they had a specimen in the first place.  This piece comes from an old collection.

An excellent example of copper from Nevada.  At first glance, it would be easy to mistake this as being from a more famous copper locality (say, in Michigan) but this is a considerably rarer example.  

A much sought after matrix specimen of this rare silver bearing halide.  Boleite is known from a number of localities, though those from Mexico and Chile are the most well known. The samples from Mexico however, are the only ones that ever display crystals larger than micromounts.

A (reasonably) rare and old example of stibnite from Peru.  Unlike the more contemporary stibnites from Quiruvilca, this specimen displays well defined, isolated crystals (the Quiruvilca pieces tend to be tightly packed masses.)

A group of helvite crystals on an albite matrix, from the 2004 find at the same mine that produced the intensely red spessartine floater crystals.

An exceptionally good miniature specimen of mottramite with a very organic appearance, from the find made 2-3 years ago at the Ojuela Mine.  This one is complete all around, and has a number of very small wulfenites sprinkled near the base and on the reverse.

A number of sharp smoky cerussite crystals on matrix.  Cerussite has never been particularly common at Mina Ojuela, but there was recently a sizable find of the material.  

 

Mexican mineral collectors highly prize Ojuela cerussites, and when you actually do see one, it will often be priced at a premium.  

 

This one is a particularly good miniature from the find.

A number of sharp smoky cerussite crystals on matrix.  Cerussite has never been particularly common at Mina Ojuela, but there was recently a sizable find of the material.  

 

This one is less messy in person-- the crystals are actually quite sharp, and it hosts a pair of smoky twins near the top, as well as a somewhat rarer (for this find) clear crystal near the center.

Mexican mineral collectors highly prize Ojuela cerussites, and when you actually do see one, it will often be priced at a premium.  

 

This one is a particularly good miniature from the find.

A number of sharp cerussite crystals on matrix.  Cerussite has never been particularly common at Mina Ojuela, but there was recently a sizable find of the material.  

This specimen hosts a number of colorless crystals-- relatively few specimens were colorless, the bulk of what was recovered consisted of smoky crystals, the result of minute sulfide inclusions. 

 

Mexican mineral collectors highly prize Ojuela cerussites, and when you actually do see one, it will often be priced at a premium.  

 

This one is a particularly good miniature from the find.

A sharp and sizable cluster of betafite crystals, from the Silver Crater Mine.  This locality has arguably produced the best crystals of this uranium bearing species, almost always outdoing those from Madagascar and Norway (which produced the only other examples you are likely to see) in terms of sharpness, size, and form.

A set of single crystals of the three main forms of pyrite.  I've intentionally photographed them to show both the display faces, and any flaws or contacts.  Properly displayed, all you'll see are the clean crystals.