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April 2009 Update
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OKG-153 Realgar on Calcite Shimen Realgar mine, Shimen County, Hunan Prov., China. This is old material, of course. Nothing new from this locale in awhile but this one showed up at Tucson, 2009 from one dealer’s old inventory. A large, 13 x 9.5 cm plate which averages 2 cm thick. It is a crystallized calcite matrix which has plenty of nicely single and double terminated realgars to 1.2 cm each. They are transparent and blood red as is the best of this material. No alteration, no damage, mineralized on back and very showy. Rare stuff to get a chance to own at this kind of down to earth price. 395$
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OKI-241 Calcite Twins on Calcite Gui Zuhou Prov., China. Although the specific locale was not provided by the seller these specimens are so unique that it will likely be available in the next few moths to a year. This always seems to be the case with new Chinese minerals. Beautiful specimen showing a sharply twinned clear/ slightly yellow calcites in the center of schalenohedral crystals. These dog tooth crystals are clear but heavy with brown inclusions. Fine contrast between the two generations of crystals. Good luster. This piece measures 10 x 8.2 x 5.5 cm. No damage. A fine specimen of which I only say a few of at this year’s, 2009, Tucson show. 195$
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OKI-242 Calcite Hunanshu Pin Mine, Hunan Prov., China. This large group of tabular calcites was the only one of its kind which I found at the Tucson show, 2009, this year. Very unique and attractive grouping which measures 11.3 x 8.8 x 5 cm thick. The largest crystal is 8.5 cm in diameter. They are highly translucent to clear and have a very light pink tint (VERY light). The thing which makes them special is the odd surface growth features which every crystal has. It’s obvious on the large, top crystal but is present on all of the crystals in this unusual stack. It is a hoppered depression which is triangular in shape. Really strange! Some minor edge chips along bottom of piece. Overall condition is very good. 250$
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OKI-243 Fluorite and Pyrite Xie Fang Mine, Jiangxi Prov., China. More new material from this year’s Tucson show, 2009. These are very aesthetic specimens when the color is noteworthy, as these are. The pyrite forms thin metallic stringers of micro crystals along the surfaces of botryoidal fluorite. The surfaces of the fluorite is modified by cubic forms giving the specimens a satin like surface texture. On the bottom of this specimen the paragenesis shows a beginning of green fluorite followed by milky quartz and finally the purple fluorite and pyrite. This is a fine dome measuring 8.6 x 7 x 6.5 cm. A very fine damage free piece. 225$
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OKG-147 Calcite Wuzhou Prefecture, Guangxizhuang Prov., China. These were probably what I would consider the most unusual of the new materials available at Tucson this year (2009). The calcites are simply bizarre! These large barrel shaped crystals are water clear if not for the extensive inclusions and solution etching. Some faces are perfect and moderately striated while other faces are totally rotted away, often along faces parallel to the 0001. Exceptionally high luster for a calcite! You’d think they had been coated by a high gloss varnish. Phantoms are white in color and nicely zoned in their growth. They are present on the crystal terminations only. Very strange stuff. This one measures 6.9 x 5.5 x 4.5 overall with the largest crystal measuring over 4 cm wide. It is a floater with only a couple very tiny touch marks on the backside. A fine display specimen with no damage and fantastic aesthetics. 235$
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OKG-149 Calcite Wuzhou Prefecture, Guangxizhuang Prov., China. These were probably what I would consider the most unusual of the new materials available at Tucson this year (2009). The calcites are simply bizarre! These large barrel shaped crystals are water clear if not for the extensive inclusions and solution etching. Some faces are perfect and moderately striated while other faces are totally rotted away, often along faces parallel to the 0001. Exceptionally high luster for a calcite! You’d think they had been coated by a high gloss varnish. Phantoms are white in color and nicely zoned in their growth. They are present on the crystal terminations only. Very strange stuff. This one measures 6.2 x 5.2 x 5 cm overall with the largest crystal measuring over 5 cm long. It is a floater has only a tiny cleave on bottom side of a smaller crystal, otherwise damage free. A great display specimen with fantastic aesthetics. 235$
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OKI-239 Fluorapatite Yaogangxian Mine, Hunan Prov., China. A recent find (2008) from the mine which has probably produced more fine mineral specimens that any other in China. Fluorapatites were never a common mineral here and this one is exceptional in all regards. Although it might appear to n be numerous parallel growth crystals I believe it is a single crystal. The specimen is high in luster, deeply striated and double terminated. It is a damage free floater measuring 3.7 x 2.8 x 2 cm and it fits nicely in a TN perky box. It is highly translucent and has a range of colors from clear to light green but is dominated by a light pink coloration. A fine displayable specimen which views nicely from all directions. The images do not do a good job of showing how fine this specimen is.
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OKI-238 Epidote and Prehnite Mali, Africa. A beautiful display floater TN which measures 3.3 x 2.4 x 1.8 cm. The epidotes form a pedestal for the single translucent ball of deep green prehnite. They are all double terminated with some having perfectly geometric terminations and others having hollow ones. A great example of this contemporary material which is seldom found in outstanding TN specimens like this one. Very cool specimen which makes for a superior display piece. 60$
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OKI-149 Acanthite Huang Tong Xiang Mine, Town of Lu Jiang, Anhui Prov., China. A very graceful/ artistic TN specimen which displays equally well from all sides. This acanthite is a large skeletal crystal on a branch of crystallized acanthite. It measures 3 cm high and has no visible points of attachment (is a floater). Above average luster for this locale. Excellent example in all respects. 200$
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OKI-166 Zircon York River Skarn Zone, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada. This is a serious TN specimen for anyone who is knowledgeable about this region. The site is now a Provincial park so its days of being a collecting locality are gone forever. Noted for its garnets these zircons were always a rare find. They were always white and opaque/ slightly translucent until I found this small seam of purple crystals in the mid 1990s. There were approx. 20 specimens, almost all TN pieces like this one, and most have found their way to museums and important private collections. This was the one I selected for myself because of its great form, lack of damage and aesthetics. The crystal is complex and has numerous small riders on it. It measures 1.7 cm and is embedded in clinopyroxene (probably diopside). Overall it measures 2.9 x 2 x 1.9 cm. Damage free. An expensive TN but a value given its rarity and importance. Any Canadian museum would be thrilled to get this specimen in their inventory and I suspect it will eventually reside in one. 750$
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OKI-148 Pyrite Rt. # 81, Syracuse, New York. Nearly impossible to find today these specimen were once available in the mid 1980s when the locale was being worked. Exhausted/ closed now they are seldom found except in recycled collections. This one is a 2.6 x 2.5 x 1.5 cm piece with a pair of intergrown tabular crystals. It has a moderate luster and is a damage free floater. A nice example of rare material which once made the cover of Rocks and Minerals….date? 30$
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OKI-180 Acanthite and Silver Huang Tong Xiang Mine, Town of Lu Jiang, Anhui Prov., China. In this example the acanthite crystals and silver wires are attached to and up high on a piece of gray matrix rock. The specimen measures 3 x 2.5 x 1.6 cm and is very displayable. No damage. 120$
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OKI-181 Acanthite and Silver Huang Tong Xiang Mine, Town of Lu Jiang, Anhui Prov., China. Nice acanthite crystals and silver wires in combination with no damage or points of contact. A fine specimen measuring 3 x 2.5 x 1.3 cm. Nice aesthetics. 130$
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OKI-182 Acanthite and Silver Huang Tong Xiang Mine, Town of Lu Jiang, Anhui Prov., China. A large long acanthite single crystal with minor riders is almost completely coated by silver wires on one side of specimen. Stands upright for display and measures 3.1 x 2 x 1.3 cm. Great TN! 150$
