Mixed Minerals!


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JFR01 Ferberite
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
7.6x 7.0x 6.5 cm
$885

A great example of very robust ferberite crystals from a find at a newer mine in Bolivia (these are not from Tasna!). I think the best ferberite these days come from Yaogangxian, Panasqueira, and Bolivia-- I don't think you get quite such thick hefty crystals form the other two localities though. This one is well balanced, with the main crystal nicely centered and flanked by more (also terminated) ferberites.  Whenever I pick one of these up, I am always a little surprised by how dense they feel.... but it's a tungsten mineral, so I guess it should be expected. 











JFR02 Ferberite
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
5.1x 3.9x 3.7 cm
$375

A great example of very robust ferberite crystals from a find at a newer mine in Bolivia (these are not from Tasna!). The crystals are exceptionally sharp and lustrous, you can even see your reflection in some of the surfaces of the main crystals. 

 I think the best ferberite these days come from Yaogangxian, Panasqueira, and Bolivia-- I don't think you get quite such thick hefty crystals form the other two localities though.  Whenever I pick one of these up, I am always a little surprised by how dense they feel.... but it's a tungsten mineral, so I guess it should be expected. 











JFR03 Ferberite
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
6.2x 4.8x 3.6 cm
$495

A great example of a very hefty, robust ferberite crystal  from a find at a newer mine in Bolivia (these are not from Tasna!) Whenever I pick one of these up, I am always a little surprised by how dense they feel....but it's a tungsten mineral, so I guess it should be expected (this one is over 700g!) You can keep this on your desk as a sort of secondary security measure.... throw this at someone or something, and it will do a *lot* of damage. 











JFR04 Ferberite with Quartz
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
4.5x 3.5x 2.9 cm
$335

A great example of very robust ferberite crystals with quartz, from a find at a newer mine in Bolivia (these are not from Tasna!).  The luster is quite exceptional, you can see your reflection in some of the faces.







JFR05 Ferberite
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
4.8x 3.4x 2.2 cm
$265

A great example of very robust ferberite crystals from a find at a newer mine in Bolivia (these are not from Tasna!). Very lustrous









JFR06 Ferberite
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
5.2x 4.0x 4.3 cm
$300

A nice example of very robust ferberite crystals from a find at a newer mine in Bolivia (these are not from Tasna!).











JFR07 Ferberite
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
4.4x 3.8x 2.2 cm
$235

A great example of very robust and lustrous ferberite crystals from a find at a newer mine in Bolivia (these are not from Tasna!).







JFR08 Ferberite with Quartz
San Pedro Mine, Potosi Dept., Bolivia
4.0x2.3x 1.8 cm
$145

A nice example of lustrous ferberite with a pair of quartz crystals, from recent finds in Bolivia. 







JFR09 Topaz
Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
2.75x 1.25x 0.9 cm
$535

A very rare example of purple-pink imperial topaz from Brazil. The overwhelming majority of these are orange, once in a while you a get a pink, and very rarely you find a purple. This is a great thumbnail-sized example of this material.







JFR10 Cavansite
Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.3x 5.1x 4.1 cm
$485

A very nice (older) example of cavansite on matrix.  The older examples tend to have more ball-shaped clusters and a whiter matrix with more stilbite crystals-- the more contemporary pieces (see below) tend to have a grayer matrix.  I always hear rumors about the locality being flooded out or closed, at this point I am not sure what is credible, but I will say this: there are 2 quarries out of 4 in the complex that produce good cavansite. When I visited 9 years ago, the neighboring town of Wagholi (a suburb of the larger city of Poona) was already starting to encroach on the area, and the quarry is increasingly subject to flooding, and the prices of this material straight from India have been going up a lot lately. Whatever the exact current state of the quarries, within the next couple years, I do not expect hat much more of this material will be found. 







JFR11 Rhodochrosite
American Tunnel, Sunnyside Mines,San Juan Co., Colorado, United States
3.6x 2.2x 2.1 cm
$265

A very nice, classic example of rhodochrosite from Colorado.  This one has a nice single crystal, sitting on a second compound crystal.







JFR12 Pentagonite
Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.5x 5.2x 5.8 cm
$475

A great example of pentagonite, nicely sheltered in a vug.  Pentagonite is the rarer polymorph of cavansite, and given how it usually forms elongated crystals ( clusters often resembling blue "Christmas trees") it is somewhat difficult to find a piece that is totally undamaged.  On this piece, the cluster is situated in a concave matrix, so it has been spared the beating and damage that most other pentagonites suffer. The cluster is decently sized, as well.  

 I always hear rumors about the locality being flooded out or closed, at this point I am not sure what is credible, but I will say this: there are 2 quarries out of 4 in the complex that produce good cavansite. When I visited 9 years ago, the neighboring town of Wagholi (a suburb of the larger city of Poona) was already starting to encroach on the area, and the quarry is increasingly subject to flooding as its depth increases.  I have also noticed that the prices of this material straight from India have been going up a lot lately. Whatever the exact current state of the quarries, within the next couple years, I do not expect hat much more of this material will be found. 







JFR13 Cavansite
Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
8.3x 5.6x 6.3 cm
$475

A nice example of cavansite on matrix. This one is quite rich, and has a fair amount of the mineral situated in a vug.   I always hear rumors about the locality being flooded out or closed, at this point I am not sure what is credible, but I will say this: there are 2 quarries out of 4 in the complex that produce good cavansite. When I visited 9 years ago, the neighboring town of Wagholi (a suburb of the larger city of Poona) was already starting to encroach on the area, and the quarry is increasingly subject to flooding as its depth increases.  I have also noticed that the prices of this material straight from India have been going up a lot lately. Whatever the exact current state of the quarries, I do expect that is will be completely done quite soon. 







JFR14 Cavansite
Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
5.8x 5.6x 4.0 cm
$385

A nice example of cavansite on matrix. This one has a couple deep blue clusters of the mineral situated in a vug.   I always hear rumors about the locality being flooded out or closed, at this point I am not sure what is credible, but I will say this: there are 2 quarries out of 4 in the complex that produce good cavansite. When I visited 9 years ago, the neighboring town of Wagholi (a suburb of the larger city of Poona) was already starting to encroach on the area, and the quarry is increasingly subject to flooding as its depth increases.  I have also noticed that the prices of this material straight from India have been going up a lot lately. Whatever the exact current state of the quarries, I do expect that is will be completely done quite soon. 







JFR15 Cavansite
Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.4x 4.3x 2.8 cm
$395

A nice example of cavansite on matrix. This one has a very bright blue cluster nicely positioned atop a heulandite coated matrix.  I always hear rumors about the locality being flooded out or closed, at this point I am not sure what is credible, but I will say this: there are 2 quarries out of 4 in the complex that produce good cavansite. When I visited 9 years ago, the neighboring town of Wagholi (a suburb of the larger city of Poona) was already starting to encroach on the area, and the quarry is increasingly subject to flooding as its depth increases.  I have also noticed that the prices of this material straight from India have been going up a lot lately. Whatever the exact current state of the quarries, I do expect that is will be completely done quite soon. 







JFR16 Cavansite
Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
5.4x 4.3x 4.1 cm
$285

A nice example of cavansite on matrix. This one has a bright blue cluster perched on a nicely contrasting white matrix.   I always hear rumors about the locality being flooded out or closed, at this point I am not sure what is credible, but I will say this: there are 2 quarries out of 4 in the complex that produce good cavansite. When I visited 9 years ago, the neighboring town of Wagholi (a suburb of the larger city of Poona) was already starting to encroach on the area, and the quarry is increasingly subject to flooding as its depth increases.  I have also noticed that the prices of this material straight from India have been going up a lot lately. Whatever the exact current state of the quarries, I do expect that is will be completely done quite soon. 







JFR17 Goethite ps. Pyrite
Gachala Municipality, Cundinamarca Dept., Colombia
5.6x 5.1x 5.0 cm
$200

A very sharp, dense pseudomorph of goethite after twinned pyrite crystals form recent finds in Colombia.  Between how complete and perfect the shape is, and the dark brown-black color, It looks a little more like a man-made crystallographic model than an actual specimen. 







JFR18 Wulfenite
Villa Ahumada, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico
2.3x 2.3x 1.2 cm
$155

A very nice thumbnail-sized example of wulfenite on a scrap of matrix, from old finds at Los Lamentos









JFR19 Galena
Reynolds Co., Viburum Trend District., Missouri, United States
2.0x 1.8x 2.0 cm
$125

A very special little galena thumbnail, that stands out from the literal tons of specimens (it is a lead mineral, after all) that this area has produced. This one features a cubic crystal with a "hat" of epitaxial galena, perched on a cluster of dodecahedral galena crystals.  A very unusual little piece!







JFR20 Goethite ps. Pyrite
Gachala Municipality, Cundinamarca Dept., Colombia
5.3x 4.4x 4.4 cm
$165

A very sharp, dense pseudomorph of goethite after twinned pyrite crystals form recent finds in Colombia.  Between how complete and perfect the shape is, and the dark brown-black color, It looks a little more like a man-made crystallographic model than an actual specimen. 







JFR21 Smithsonite
79 Mine, Chilito, Dripping Spring Mountains , Gila Co., Arizona, USA
9.8x 7.3x 5.6 cm
$200

A nice cabinet sized example of green smithsonite from finds made at the 79 Mine in mid-2020.







JFR22 Chalcedony var. Grape Agate
Mamiju Area, Sulawesi Barat Prov., Sulawesi, Indonesia
6.7x 5.0x 3.6 cm
$165

A nice example of grape agate from Indonesia.  I buy this stuff in bulk for wholesale purposes, but I pick out the better few to offer on the website. There is a lot of variation int he quality of this material that isn't immediately apparent when you see this stuff online.... but when you get a big box of it from Indonesia, you realize how much it varies in terms of color, damage, luster. In a few places, there are gaps in the cluster that let you see through to the other side, I think that adds a nice touch. Though in the picture it looks more jumbled and 2D. 







JFR23 Calcite
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
5.8x 3.2x 3.1 cm
$150

A particularly nice example of calcite from the Ojuela Mine.  Usually on the "calcite only" specimens from Ojuela, the crystals are more yellowish "dogtooth" crystals (like the material that they grow the kobyashevite on), or thin and tabular.  This one just seemed particularly clean and lustrous, and it stands out in my mind against the other calcite-only examples I have seen from the mine.  







JFR24 Cuproadamite
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
9.8x 3.5x 4.3 cm
$265

A nice and very rich example of lighter green cuproadamite (though with slightly larger crystals than usual) filling bugs in an elongated matrix. 







JFR25 Adamite
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
7.0x 4.0x 2.3 cm
$225

A nice adamite specimen from the Ojuela Mine, I particularly liked this one because it is a complete vug hosting numerous yellow adamites.  Usually the crystals are more randomly placed on a flat plate of matrix, but this gives a particularly nice sense of what it would've looked like, in situ.  Sawn on the back.







JFR27 Goethite
Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
6.0x 4.0x 2.8 cm
$165

A nice example of iridescent goethite from the Ojuela Mine, reminiscent of the material from Graves Moutain, Georgia or Huelva, Spain. 







JFR28 Cinnabar
Tongren, Guizhou Prov., China
5.7x 3.8x 2.9 cm
$100

A pair of cinnabar "drill bit" twins in a quartz-lined vug, from Southwestern China. These used to be a staple of the Chinese dealers in Tucson a couple decades ago (I feel old saying that) but as with most minerals, eventually the supply tends to dry up.  







JFR29 Helvite with Spessartine Garnet
Tongbei, Fujian Prov., China
15.8x 11.0x 4.4 cm
$235

A large and ugly (but very rich) example of helvite on matrix. The crystals are a bit weathered, but reach 1.4 cm, and again, there are an unusually high number of them on this piece.   Normally you would only see one or two, typically much smaller. 

And of course, there are hundreds of small, orange spessartine garnets scattered around the piece. 







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