Fluorite - pink Alpine
stock #23.FC-083
Lassner-Meissner, Chamonix, Bonneville
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,
France
2.6 x 2.6 x 1.4 CM (thumbnail)
price: $850
Spring 23
A sharp classic habit French Alpine Fluorite with excellent color and no damage. This crystal grew against a matrix (typical in this type) but it was long ago naturally detached and has since recrystallized on the contact areas. As a result this is a floater, it is crystalized or rehealed on all sides, something very rare from Alpine cleft Fluorites. From a less well-known find years ago in the Mt Blanc Region, this is translucent to transparent, has very good luster and with perfect edges and corners.
Fluorite - classic pink Alpine
stock #23.FC-085
Les Courtes,Chamonix, Bonneville
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,
France
3.5 x 3.3 x 3.2 CM (small miniature/ large thumbnail (toenail))
price: $2200
Spring 23
A choice and sizable single crystal of well-formed Fluorite having deep pink-red color and lightly stepped faces which gives a frosted texture on some parts. Over all in fine condition, only the underside has some contact/cleaving not seen from the front display. This from the Les Courtes Mountain which lies between the Argentière and the Talèfre Glaciers in the heart of the classic Mont Blanc Fluorite zone. This locality is not so well-known and rarely visited; it is a very demanding technical assent. A few finds of Alpine Quartz put the location on the mineral map but almost no records of Fluorite. Not only an attractive crystal, this is a very rare locality almost never available.
Fluorite on Quartz
stock #23.FC-003
Les Beix Mine, Riom, Puy-de-Dome
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,
France
5 x 4.4 x 2.8 CM (miniature)
price: $660
Spring 23
Fine blue cubes clustered on a contrasting light yellow matrix makes a pleasing contrast. An excellent French Fluorite in excellent condition, the faces of the cubes have a slightly satin luster. The interiors of the cubes are translucent, milky and glow very well when backlit (these photos are not backlit). Les Beix is a modern classic locality with a great reputation for its wide range of Fluorite, the blue being the most sought-after. The mine flooded forever in 1977, these better quality Fluorites have become quite rare on the market.
A very pretty spray of bright red to orange color Quartz from this little known locality. The Ställdalen Iron Mines were long ago active and today specimens are quite uncommon in any quality at all, much less in such esthetic sprays. Hematite inclusions give the color and looks from orange to red with some colorless zones as well. Overall in fine condition, very close exam finds a few small rough spots on a few crystals that are not easily noticed, most are super pristine. Other world localities that are noted for red Quartz come to mind, (Orange River Namibia, Egremont England etc.), but none of these look quite like the very distinctive and uncommon Swedish specimens. This is a particularly attractive piece, very hard to find today.
Spinel - large crystals on Diopside
stock #9.1-075
Near McDonald Island
Northwest Territories,
Canada
11.1 x 8.3 x 7.3 CM (cabinet)
price: $590
Spring 23
A large cabinet sized specimen with several sizable dark blue Spinel crystals prominently sitting on the matrix. A very fine example from this remote and little known area. This specimen was collected by Brad Wilson (a very well-known prolific field collector) and was later in the collection of, (and sold by), the late Ernie Schlichter, another well-respected field collector and mineral dealer. The Spinel crystals reach 3.6 CM in size and are nestled in a crystallized matrix of Diopside crystals. A very impressive specimen from a find many years ago, Mindat notes this Diopside skarn stating "The actual locality is a small unnamed island near MacDonald Island on the south coast of Baffin Island approximately 200 km northwest of Lake Harbour". This specimen has the largest crystals I have seen (although we have not seen more than a few, these are not common). No longer available except when collections are liquidated. The display side is in excellent condition, the back of the largest crystal is contacted though not visible from the front. A choice Skarn specimen unlike Spinels from most any other localities.
Adularia with Apatite, Chlorite etc
stock #21.1-261
Mutt Glacier, Gletsch, Oberwald, Obergoms, Goms
Valais,
Switzerland
11.3 x 5.6 x 5.1 CM (cabinet)
price: $880
Spring 23
Textbook perfect Adularia crystal dominates a matrix plate of smaller Adularia crystals and tiny Apatites. Most of the smallest crystals are also gemmy. The Adularia crystals are either included by or coated with Chlorite, and have a nice green color. The large crystal is an impressive 6.3 CM and shows the form perfectly. Crystals range from transparent to translucent and these are all in undamaged condition, well-formed and complete. From the Swiss Alps, a classic combination and unusually well presented.
Witherite - classic USA
stock #AC-309
Minerva #1 Mine, Cave-in-Rock, Hardin County
Illinois,
United States
8 x 5.6 x 5.2 CM (cabinet)
price: $460
Spring 23
Choice, old (1960 vintage) cluster of two main Witherite crystals with minor Calcite and Fluorite on the back. The larger crystal is about 6 CM across, quite large for the specie. The front, or display side, is in good condition, the back right rear edge is cleaved but still displays well. The top crystal is more complete and even though smaller is the focal point. The larger lower crystal is less complete due to cleaves but makes a nice base for the upper. This is vividly fluorescent in all wavelengths, and the crystal terminations show the classic rounded step-type structures. The prism faces have the small stair-step structures that are classic for the specie. Witherite was fairly common in the early years of mining in the Fluorspar region, but really good specimens were rare, and since they were not colorful very few were saved. These now rank as some of the very best ever found on earth. I am told there is no longer any locality in the world where any is being found, and certainly not large fine crystals like these. A very good modern classic.
Diopside, Biotite
stock #13.1-364
Birds Creek (McFall Lake), Herschel Township, Hastings Highlands Municip
Ontario,
Canada
5.1 x 4.3 x 3.2 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $350
Spring 23
Well-defined, lustrous Diopside crystal up to about 2 CM in a cluster with almost no matrix, just minor Biotite. An older specimen 1960 vintage from the Ruth and Andy Palmer and, also, the William Hladysz collections. The crystals look dark green in normal lighting but with backlight they are translucent and show a bright yellow-green hue. Attractive and in fine condition, it looks similar to classic Dekalb New York specimens, but is from the Bancroft area. This is one of the best we have seen from the area.
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