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October 2009 Update
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OKI-419 Babingtonite and Calcite Lane Quarry, Northfield, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Collected by Gerry Marchand, 2007. An east coast classic and an exceptional one at that. It is a wonderful example with crystals of the highest luster to an amazing 1.7 cm each. The main display face is coated by babs and one small cluster of prehnite which is lightly oxidized, so it is tan in color. On the back the specimen is thickly coated by calcite and has numerous embedded babingtonite crystals. The piece is a cabinet specimen which sits nicely a couple of different ways for display. The frontal view is amazing. It measures in at 8 x 6.5 x 5.4 cm. The calcites are cleaved in a couple cases but the babingtonite crystals are in fine condition with no damage. I know the babingtonites from China have received all the press lately, but these are the Holy Grail for east coast collectors and, I guess, now the second best babingtonites in the world. This is the best piece I’ve acquired over the years and is certainly of uncommon quality. 1,700$
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OKI-420 Microcline Bielke Pit, Bib Mountain Marathon Co., Wisconsin. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Here is an uncommon example of a common species. Seldom are these available due to the field collectors keeping them for their own collections. This plate of crystals measures 8 x 5.3 x 4.4 cm. The crystals are slightly translucent and often in parallel growth. A couple small chips but not in bad shape at all. Attractive red sandstone like color. 75$
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OKI-421 Microcline Baveno Twin and Quartz Bielke Pit, Bib Mountain Marathon Co., Wisconsin. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Here is an uncommon example of a common species. Seldom are these available due to the field collectors keeping them for their own collections. The twin stands up nicely off a small plate which sits level for display. Tiny quartz crystals in a couple of places. Attractive red sandstone like color. Damage free front and side views. Two chips on back of specimen. Great example of this uncommon material. An important locality collectors specimen. 95$
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OKI-422 Microcline Bielke Pit, Bib Mountain Marathon Co., Wisconsin. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Here is an uncommon example of a common species. Seldom are these available due to the field collectors keeping them for their own collections. Attractive red sandstone like color. A fine damage free plate with attractive single and double terminated crystals. Sits on edge for display. 8.3 x 5 x 2.9 cm overall. Fine display specimen. 95$
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OKI-423 Cr-Grossular Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos, Quebec, Canada. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. This attractive piece is coated on one face by tiny transparent, high luster, green crystals. The piece has spots where there are missing crystals so the price is modest. It measures 5.4 x 3 x 2 4 cm. Great color. 30$
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OKI-424 Adamite Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. What a fine looking example of adamite! 6 x 4.7 x 3 overall, this piece shows adamite crystals in partial balls to over 3 cm each. They are intermixed with matrix, damage free and of the highest luster for this material. Sits nicely on one flattened area. Good views from all sides except back. A substantial adamite. 145$
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OKI-425 Strontianite and Calcite Faylor- Middlecreek Quarry, Winfield, Union Co., PA. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. An excellent piece for this quarry collected by Steve in 1980. White balls of damage free, ascicular crystals of strontianite spread about on an undulating calcite crystal coated matrix. The calcites are smaller and well formed, transparent twins. Sits beautifully and measures 6 x 4.5 x 4.5 cm. No damage and exceptional for the locale. 40$
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OKI-426 Natrolite, Agerine and Unknown De_mix Quarry, Mt. St-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Previous Canadian Museum of Nature specimen. Possible the nicest natrolite TN I’ve had from this site. This one measures 3.5 x 2 x 1.5 cm overall and has clear natrolites to 3.1 cm each. Many of the crystals are double terminated. Some contacts, mainly to back of specimen. The yellowish colored ball on the front of the specimen is the unknown. Nice terminations, luster, provenance and aesthetics. Excellent piece. 95$
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OKI-427 Scapolite Bear Lake, Litchfield Township, Pontiac Co., Quebec, Canada. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. This specimen is a 5.2 cm group of three parallel growth scapolite crystals which are more translucent than normal. There is an opaque, slightly greenish overgrowth of another mineral covering some regions of the piece. The specimen is quite sharp in its form and more lustrous than most scapolites. Minor pink calcite. A very fine Canadian scapolite specimen for this price. 60$
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OKI-428 Fluorite Heights Pasture, Eastgate, Weardale, Durham, England. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. A small matrix flake is coated on several sides by transparent fluorite twins typical of the contemporary material. This piece was marketed in 1978, however. 5.4 x 3 x 2.5 cm. Some contacts but still very displayable. I would say the display side is the one with the specimen #s on it. That side is very nice. 85$
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OKI-429 Magnetite El Laco, Antofagasta Region, Chili. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Previous Canadian Museum of Nature specimen. An aggregate of octahedral with individual crystals to 1.6 cm each. Some are quite sharp while others are crude in form. The cluster measures 7.9 x 5.2 x 3.2 cm. It is a metallic rust color and has a low luster. It is an interesting specimen to view and has an odd locale and nice provenance. 95$
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OKI-430 Quartz St. Dennis, Belowda Area, St. Austell, Cornwall, England. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. It seems that there is always a calling for Cornish specimens so here it is. A nice cluster of smoky beta-form crystals on an earlier growth of milky crystals. Individual points are to 2 cm in diameter while the entire piece measures 6 x 5.7 x 3.5 cm. There are a couple tint tip dings but nothing readily noticeable to the eye. Very attractive and desirable specimen. 185$
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OKI-431 Fluorite and Calcite Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. An attractive specimen with blue secondary fluorite in the form of a rectangular shaped cube on yellow fluorite. The entire piece measures 6.5 x 5.2 x 4.3 cm. Nice translucence/ transparency and moderate luster. The damage is to one calcite and one corner on the blue fluorite is cleaved. One corner looks damaged and first glance but it is only a complex stepped growth. A nice color combination and blue has become the rare color to get from this once prolific locality. 150$
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OKI-432 Pyrite Chester, Windsor, Vermont. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. 7.5 cm long plate with embedded crystals across its top side to 2.5 cm each. The crystals are tabular and twisted. They have very unusual growth features on some surfaces and minor octahedral modifications. Only damage is part of the smallest crystal on the end is missing. An excellent and unusual specimen for the location. 60$
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OKI-245 Proadamite on Quartz Tsumeb Mine, S.W. Africa. Ex. Nancy Collins Collection. Rich green crystal of proadamite are draped over a single gray crystal of quartz. Very aesthetic 2 cm TN specimen which is mounted in a perky box. No damage. 225$
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OKI-406 Pyrite Chester, Windsor, Vermont. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Previously in the Middlebury College collections then with Ward’s of Rochester. This one is an absolute killer TN specimen. Three cubes with very minor octahedral modifications are in almost parallel growth. They are aesthetically grouped with a small amount of schist matrix adding the perfect balance. The specimen measures 2.8 x 2.5 x 2 cm overall. The largest pyrite is 1.6 cm. Good luster and interesting surface growth feature. Sharp damage free piece. 250$
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OKI-407 Galena Black Dean Mine, Irehopburn, Weardale, Durham, England. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. An unusual specimen which shows a cube of galena which has a thin coating of quartz. This first generation of galena was followed by a more complex second generation crystal. This one is a cube that is highly modified by an octahedron. The faces are stepped in growth. A moderate luster (nice patina) which one would expect from an old European piece. The entire specimen is galena except for very minor pyrite and dolomite crystals. 4 x 3.8 x 2.5 cm. A fine damage free miniature. 80$
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OKI-408 Anatase on Adularia Valdres Region, Norway. Ex. Joe Polityka Collection. Dark, high luster anatase crystals which are well exposed on contrasting adularia coat most of the front and top of this specimen. Back and sides have fewer small crystals. The two biggest crystals are just under a cm each measuring .95 cm. One tiny crystal near the edge is broken but this is not a distracter to this essentially damage free piece (I only noticed it on my third inspection and did so with 10x magnification). 5.5 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm overall. The piece sits a couple of different ways nicely and the luster is far better than the images indicate. This is a fine example of this classic material. 250$
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OKI-409 Apophyllite on Prehnite Southbury, Connecticut. Ex. Anthony Dunn Collection. An aesthetic specimen with waves of rich green prehnite much of which is coated by crystals of clear and white apophyllite. It measures 5.4 x 4 x 3 cm and is a damage free floater. Very attractive piece. 75$
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OKI-410 Siderite Cow Green Mine, Teesdale, Durham, England. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. What a crazy looking piece. It is a concretion which shows a surface similar to mud cracks in a shale. I’ve never seen one like this so I’m not even sure that it should qualify as a mineral specimen (more likely a geologic specimen). 6.6 x 5.6 x 2.9 cm. Someone will enjoy this greatly! 65$
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OKI-411 Almandine Granatwald, Tyrol, Austria. Ex Anthony Dunn Collection. Embedded in schist we see eight large (to 2.7 cm) garnets. The back has garnets to but they are not display worthy due to damage. This specimen has not been polished, coated, painted, etc. as they most often are from this locale. I have seen all kinds of things done to these to make them presentable. They are doctored up in order to remove or hid the minor damage which they almost always seem to have. This one does have two chips and a tiny ding but it is exceptional for this material. It is one of only a couple which I have seen which has not been repaired/inappropriately improved. Big plate measuring 14.4 x 11. 6 cm. It averages 3 cm thick. Good luster in its natural state. Try and find one this nice for sale…I don’t think you will and certainly not at this low a price. Great classic European specimen. 395$
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OKI-412 Fluorite T & G Prospect, Grant Co., New Mexico. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. 7.5 x 6.4 x 4 cm plate with crystals to 2 cm on edge. Nice luster, super form to these complex octahedral, wonderful surface growth forms, high translucence…great piece in all ways. No damage and minor amounts of white quartz fill in between crystals bringing out individual definition to the crystals instead of having them all blend into each other. This one began as green fluorite and was overgrown by the more obvious purple fluorite. If you’ve ever looked to own a nice specimen from this location I don’t think it will be easier to do better than this one. 230$
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OKI-388 Quartz and Calcite Nobabeep, Namibia. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Here is an unusual locality which has produced some world class quartz. This piece measures 12.8 x 9 x 4.2 cm. It is a damage free floater of highly translucent smoky quartz. On one edge is a thin plate of gray quartz which is dotted by what may be pyrite. The backside shows tiny druze quartz crystals which are white and small ball like calcite crystals (also white). A wonderful display piece. I have nothing on the market to compare to for price so I am putting this one out there based on its being an exceptional quartz specimen alone and not even considering its rarity as a locality specimen. 595$
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OKI-414 Arfvedsonite De-Mix Quarry, Mt. St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. Exceptional example of this rare specimens measuring 5.4 x4 x 3.2 cm overall with large crystals to 3.5 cm. I see at least one twinned crystal in the grouping as well. Some calcite holding some of the crystals in the grouping together. Both single and double terminated crystals. The crystals are well formed, damage free and of a high luster for the species. A great, displayable specimen. 280$
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OKI-418 Elbaite Alto Ligonha Pegmatites, Zambezia Prov., Mozambique. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. 4.4 cm long and .9 cm wide single terminated crystal of tourmaline of a gorgeous light purple color. Well, let me be more specific: base is only translucent and has some minor attached quartz. The central regions (perhaps 60% or more of the crystal) is a nice light purple with a light brown cast…gem! This grades through a region more typical of elbaite…gem green, to, finally, a termination which is opaque and of a slightly lower luster than the bulk of the crystal. Backlit the specimen is spectacular. Damage free and showy. 185$
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OKI-413 Ilmenite, Biotite and Calcite Faraday Mine, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain Collection. These specimen are seldom showy and never what I would call aesthetic. This one, however, is very attractive and ranks as the finest collector grade specimen I’ve seen from the local. I’ve seen many larger but not as well formed and showy. This piece measures 8.6 x 5.5 x 5 cm overall with ilmenite crystals to 2.6 cm each. The Luster of the mica and ilmenites, especially, are better than normal. The ilmenites are also better in form than is the norm. Great piece from a classic Canadian mine. 375$
