TJL1 Pyromorphite

Daoping/Yangshuo Pb-Zn Deposit, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China

6.8x 5.0x 4.0 cm

$750

A lustrous and grass green specimen from the prolific Daoping/Yangshuo Pb/Zn deposit.  This one dates back to 2002.

The best pieces were found in a couple pockets from 1999-2000. From 2001 to about 2002, this was the available habit.  For the most part, the quality has gone down since then; every once in a while a nice pocket is discovered (the elongated crystals last year, the large hoppers the year before) but for the most part, the recovered specimens are nothing too special.

As one of the older pieces, this specimen is somewhat better than the majority of what is currently available on the market, having good color and richness.

TJL2 Calcite

Daoping/Yangshuo Pb-Zn Deposit, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China

7.3x 3.6x 4.1 cm

$300

A beautiful flower-like cluster of calcite, perched on another cluster of calcite crystals.

interestingly enough, the top of the "flower" is flat.

TJL3 Garnet var. Andradite

El Mochito Mine, Near San Pedro Sula, Santa Barbara Dept., Honduras (!)

10.0x 7.4x 5.5 cm

Central American minerals are rarely seen, though there are a number of active gold, silver, copper and lead mines in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

This is a large cabinet specimen of andradite form El Mochito, with a stalactitic projection rising slightly from the mass of crystalline andradite.  This is a decent andradite for any locality, but for Honduras this is exceptional.

TJL4 Manganocalcite, Hedenbergite, Quartz, Spahlerite

El Mochito Mine, Near San Pedro Sula, Santa Barbara Dept., Honduras (!)

10.2x 7.3x 5.3 cm

Another Honduran specimen, this one a globular aggregate of faintly pink calcites sharing a hedenbergite matrix with quartz and sphalerite. There are some blemishes, but this remains a very beautiful, interesting and rare Honduran specimen.

TJL5 Calcite

El Mochito Mine, Near San Pedro Sula, Santa Barbara Dept., Honduras (!)

7.9x 6.3x 2.4 cm

$300

A "flower" of calcite from the El Mochito mine.  I have seen similar specimens from China, but never from Honduras.... then again, I haven't seen many Honduran minerals.

TJL6 Calcite

El Mochito Mine, Near San Pedro Sula, Santa Barbara Dept., Honduras (!)

12.0x 10.3x 6.0 cm

$330

A large cabinet specimen of calcite with quartz and mirror-like sphalerite.  There is some damage to a couple of the calcite crystals, but this remains a very interesting, beautiful and rare Honduran specimen.

If this were from Bulgaria it would be nothing special.... but it's not Bulgarian.

TJL8 Pyromorphite pseudomorph after Cerussite

Balliway Rigg, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, United Kingdom  

6.4x 4.5x 4.5 cm

$185

A very unusual English pyromorphite specimen, in which the mineral is pseudomorphing and coating cerussite crystals. 

TJL9 Manganocalcite

Nikolaevskiy Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

7.1x 7.1x 4.4 cm

$400

I don't know exactly why, but this is one of my two favorite specimens that I bought in Tucson this year.  This is a beautiful, light pink stack of manganocalcite crystals that tapers to a narrow base, and which is partially coated with a second generation of calcite. 

This is one of the few new finds from Tucson this year.

This is a very beautiful piece; even in a room full of minerals from Dal'Negorsk this one stood out, so I bought it.

TJL10 Manganocalcite

Nikolaevskiy Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

6.5x 5.3x 5.0 cm

$330

This is a beautiful, light pink stack of manganocalcite crystals that tapers to a narrow base, and which is partially coated with a second generation of calcite. 

This is one of the few new finds from Tucson this year.

TJL11 Manganocalcite

Nikolaevskiy Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

6.6x 4.8x 3.3 cm

$230

This is a beautiful, light pink stack of manganocalcite crystals that tapers to a fine base, and which is partially coated with a second generation of calcite. 

This is one of the few new finds from Tucson this year.

TJL12 Fluorite

Nikolaevskiy Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

4.4x 3.6x 2.7 cm

$325

This was a second small new Russian find.  One dealer had a few optical fluorite specimens from a small pocket encountered within the last few months. This specimen is damage free, and has several water clear fluorite crystals on matrix.

This is one of the few new finds from Tucson this year.

TJL13 Calcite

Wuzhou Mine, Guangxi Province, China

13.5x 10.0x 2.7 cm

$400

This is the calcite analogue of the previous specimen, from a rather limited find out of China.  The matrix is literally covered with water clear calcite crystals that are nearly perfectly transparent.

These were first encountered two years ago but it is only within the last year that a small number of larger plates have been available.

TJL14 Quartz

Bor Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

7.3x 3.5x 3.0 cm

$185

This is a rather large example of what the Russians call "crazy quartz," a crystal composed of numerous stacked, compressed crystals.

TJL15 Calcite

First Sovietskiy Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

5.6x 3.0x 0.3 cm

$90

Another odd new find from Russia, these are flattened calcite clusters.  I have no idea how they formed, but these were two of the larger ones I could find.  They reminded me a bit of mushrooms... only in 2D.

Pieces like this are the previous specimen are what make the mines around Dal'Negorsk such interesting localities.

TJL16 Calcite

First Sovietskiy Mine, Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

3.6x 3.1x 1.1 cm

$85

Another odd new find from Russia, these are flattened calcite clusters.  I have no idea how they formed, but these were two of the larger ones I could find.  They reminded me a bit of mushrooms... only in 2D.

Pieces like this are the previous two specimens are what make the mines around Dal'Negorsk such interesting localities.

TJL17 Calcite

Daye Copper mine, Daye Co., Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

6.1x 3.0x 4.1 cm

$200

This is a very beautiful miniature/ small cabinet from the Daye Mine.  The color and transparency of the double terminated combine with beautiful positioning to make a very refined and aesthetic specimen.

TJL18 Fluorite

Shangbao Pyrite mine, Leiyang Co., Hengyang Prefecture, Hunan Province, China

7.0x 3.9x 2.6 cm

$320

A perfect miniature/ small cabinet specimen from the Shangbao mine, with an excellent, light purple fluorite crystal perched on a quartz matrix.  This mine has literally produced tons of specimens, but believe it or not, finding one with no damage is something of a challenge.

Interestingly enough, just about all the quartz is terminated; even those areas that look like jagged edges on the matrix are actually natural growth.

TJL19 Fluorite on Feldspar

Erongo Region, Namibia

6.0x 2.0x 2.0 cm

$100

A perfect miniature/ small cabinet specimen from the Yaogangxian mine, with an excellent, light purple fluorite crystal perched on a quartz matrix.  This mine has literally produced tons of

TJL20 Cumengeite, Boleite Pseudoboleite

Amalia Mine, Santa Rosalia Co., Baja California, Mexico

5.6x 4.1x 3.2 cm

$280

A rare matrix specimen of cumengite, hosting a small crystal ](3 mm indivudual crystal, 5mm cluster), along with a couple small boleites, and pseudoboleites. 

The crystals are small, but you get the whole family all on one specimen.

TJL21 Scorzalite

Estano Orcko, Machacamarca District, Potosi, Bolivia

7.6x 4.2x 4.7 cm

$185

Alfredo Petrov has a few specimens from this new find of Bolivian; scolzalite I picked up the best two.

For a rare mineral, this species as actually reasonably aesthetic.  I am told the locals at first thought these crystals were lazulite.

This specimen has numerous deep blue crystals housed in a vug, and they share the space with a pseudomorph of limonite after something..

TJL22 Scorzalite

Estano Orcko, Machacamarca District, Potosi, Bolivia

5.6x 4.5x 4.2 cm

$185

Alfredo Petrov has a few specimens from this new find of Bolivian; scolzalite I picked up the best two.

For a rare mineral, this species as actually reasonably aesthetic.  I am told the locals at first thought these crystals were lazulite.

This specimen has several rather large crystals on matrix.

TJL23 Bismuth

Wolfram Camp, Dumbulah, Mareeba Shire. Queensland, Australia

6.2x 4.7x 2.3 cm

$500

This specimen is actually a single crystal of bismuth, with very clear edges and faces visible.  There is a bit of cleaving near the bottom, but this remains a HUGE crystal for the species; truly exceptional for the locality and for native bismuth in general.

TJL24 Shattuckite

Kandesei, Koakoveld, Kunene, Namibia

5.8x 4.8x 3.2 cm

$160

A beautiful specimen of light blue shattuckite, form recent finds at Kaokoveld.  This specimen appears to be a pseudomorph or cast after something else; I can't tell which.  Either way, it is a very colorful specimen of this relatively new material from one of the most mineralogically significant countries in the world.

TJL25 Fluorite

Dal'Negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia

4.1x 3.5x 2.1 cm

$100

An icy green fluorite octahedron, damage free on matrix.  Under the right lighting, this thing glows.  A very fine miniature

TJL26 Sylvanite

Emperor Mine, Vatuhoula, Viti Levu, Fiji

4.3x 3.0x 1.9 cm

$285

This piece is somewhat uglier than the others in this update, but it is rare.  There is a  crystal of sylvanite sharing a vug with a couple other smaller crystals. 

Finding these things is VERY difficult, and finding specimens on matrix is even harder.

TJL27 Wulfenite

Wulfenite

Urumqi, Kuruktag Mountains, Xinjiang Uygur Region, Northern China
5.7x 4.2x 2.9 cm

$300

A bright red specimen from the one time Chinese find made a few years ago.  The color on this piece is comparable to Red Cloud, and this find represents what is probably the most significant find of wulfenite in the last since Wayne Thompson's San Francisco Mine find in the mid-90's.

TJL28 Eosphorite

Near Betafo, Central Madagascar
3.5x 2.0x 0.8 cm

$135

One dealer had a small lot of thumbnail eosphorite crystals from Madagascar.  They are heavily included with iron oxide, but display decent size and excellent crystal form.  I purchased the better ones in the lot, this was the best.