The Denver Show 2009 Mineral Rooms!
* Re-Updated July 2nd, 2010 *
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MIN#Denver2009-61 NEW!
EXCEPTIONALLY RARE! Brilliant Native Gold
with Petzite on Pink Granite!
Without a doubt, the finest specimen I've seen from this now closed and very short lived
mine!
Very few large specimens came out from this locality and specimens
of this quality can probably be counted on
your hands. The black mineral on the right side is Petzite and this is a fairly scarce
Telluride mineral (Ag3AuTe2).
From the Nugget Pond Gold Mine, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Measures 8 cm by 7 cm by 5 cm in total size.
Comes with a custom made, labeled base.
Price $24,500
 Photo by Joe Budd |
VERY RARE and EXCEPTIONAL!!
Tremendous specimen featuring a fully terminated, 4
cm crystal of gemmy Phosphophyllite
on Siderite and Pyrite matrix! I can't stress just how rare matrix Phosphophyllites are!
This
mineral was discovered at the
Unificada Mine in the late 1950's and due to the extreme
dangers of mining it, very few specimens have come to light in the decades since. Even
fewer fine crystals of large size on matrix have been discovered and this is only the
second
matrix specimen that I've offered in the past twelve years! A piece of this caliber comes
to market maybe once every 5 or so years so this is indeed a rare opportunity. This
crystal is not only large, it is also fully twinned with a beautiful aqua-green
coloration.
The multiple crystal faces are glassy and bounce light around like a faceted jewel.
From the Unificada Mine, Cerro Rico,
Potosí City, Potosi Dept., Bolivia.
Measures 4.7 cm by 4.4 cm in size.
Currently in the Kevin Ward Mineral Collection
Price $22,500
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MIN#Denver2009-63 NEW!
Huge Spessartine Garnet set atop a Smoky
Quartz point with smaller Spessartines!
This is one of the largest Spessartine Garnets I've seen from China. It measures
2.1 cm by 2.2 cm in size or just shy of an inch! The color is a rich reddish-orange
and the crystal faces are super glassy and reflective with no damage whatsoever.
From the Wushan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Fujian Province of China.
Measures 3.7 cm by 3.7 cm in size.
Price $1450
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Exceptional Golden Calcite crystal on
Barite!
Large, gemmy Golden Calcite crystal displaying two
perfect terminations as it sits atop
a mound of white Barite. A smaller Calcite sits atop the Barite on the back side but the
main focus is the 14 cm Calcite which is about as perfect a crystal as you will find from
the Elmwood Mine. Both terminations are all there and the only flaw that I can find is
some very tiny chips on the left termination that you need a 10X loupe to see. The
crystal is
glassy and transparent throughout and Calcites of this quality are difficult to find these
days.
From the Elmwood Mine, Smith County, Tennessee.
Measures 9.5 cm by 15 cm by 12 cm in size.
Comes with a custom made, engraved base.
Ex. Steve Neely Collection
Price $7500
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MIN#Denver2009-65 NEW!
Lustrous, glassy crystals of Mimetite var.
Campylite with Barite blades on matrix!
A superb miniature with excellent balance and aesthetics. The Campylite crystals are
in very good condition with only a few contacts on the backside and one small contact
on a crystal near the top center. These are usually cracked and scarred very badly!
From the Dry Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England.
Measures 5.8 cm by 5 cm in size.
Price $2250
 Photo by Joe Budd |
MIN#Denver2009-66 NEW!
Aesthetic specimen featuring a GEM Golden
Topaz crystal with Smoky Quartz points!
I love the look of this specimen! The color richness of both the Topaz and Smoky Quartz
is stunning and very obvious in the above photograph! The small white crystal sitting
atop the Golden Topaz is actually a tiny colorless Topaz crystal. The Golden Topaz
is pure perfection with sharp, complete faces. The Smoky is also perfectly terminated.
From Sakangyi, Mogok, Sagaing District, Mandalay Division, Burma
(Myanmar)
Measures 7 cm by 6 cm by 5.2 cm in size.
Ex. James Vorpahl Mineral Collection
Price $2850
 Photo by Joe Budd |
MIN#Denver2009-67 NEW!
Breathtaking cluster of Rose Quartz
crystals set atop Albite matrix!
This specimen is completely crystalline, both front and back. The
crystals at the
lowest point on the left side matrix begin horizontally and grow upwards until they
spray out at the top! The terminations are all there and complete and the color is rich!
From the Sapucaia Mine, Sapucaia do Norte, Galileia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Measures 6.7 cm by 5 cm in size.
Price $1850
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MIN#Denver2009-68 NEW!
Cabinet sized plate of lustrous
silver-blue Smithsonite!
What a beautiful Smithsonite this piece is. The color is pure silver mixed with sky-blue
and
the luster is dazzling! One of my favorite Smithsonites in the small collection offered
here!
From the El Refugio Mine, Choix, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Measures 14 cm by 11.5 cm in size.
Price $985
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MIN#Denver2009-69 NEW!
Fine miniature featuring an octahedral
green Fluorite on Quartz!
Quality Wise Mine Fluorites have all but disappeared from the market these days and
plates with Quartz crystals are even rarer. Note the perfect Quartz scepter at upper
right!
From the William Wise Mine, Westmoreland, New Hampshire.
Measures 6 cm by 7.5 cm in size.
Price $285
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Large crystals of Native Copper on
Copper!
Stunning and impressive, this specimen features well
defined Copper crystals
in a cluster which branches out atop the elongated Copper which serves as a base.
The patina is beautiful with shades of brown and reddish brown. This specimen has
definately not been cleaned and it very original in appearance. Most of the crystals
range from 1 cm to 3 cms in size but the elongated crystal at the base is over 6.5 cm!
There is a reddish coating of micro-Cuprite near the top and between the crystals.
From the Quincy Mine, Houghton County, Michigan.
Measures 11.5 cm by 7 cm by 8 cm in size.
Ex. F. J. Barlow, Edward David Mineral Collections
Price $9500
 Photo by Joe Budd |
MIN#Denver2009-71 NEW!
Fine doubly terminated crystal of Beryl
var. Aquamarine with Albite!
This beautiful specimen exhibits a misty-blue, almost cat's-eye appearance in the
center portions and caps off with a crystal clear termination. Upon closer inspection,
it appears that a smaller, translucent Aquamarine crystal was overgrown by a larger,
more transparent crystal creating one heck of a phantom in the middle and at the top!
From Darra-i-Pech, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
Measures 8.7 cm by 3.8 cm in size.
Ex. Charles Leavitt, Revelle Mineral Collections
Price $2850
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MIN#Denver2009-72 NEW!
Super lustrous specimen of gray-blue-pink
Smithsonite!
There are hints of multiple colors in these glistening botryoidal surfaces!
From the El Refugio Mine, Choix, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Measures 6.7 cm by 6 cm in size.
Price $185
 Photo by Joe Budd |
MIN#Denver2009-73 NEW!
LARGE crystals of Golden Barite on Calcite
blades!
The largest crystal laying horizontally across the matrix measures a
whopping 14.5 cm in length!
It's perfectly terminated and glassy with a good bit of transparency near the tip! The
other
crystals measurss 4.3 cm and 3.6 in size with the smallest being completely gemmy and
clear!
The Barites sit atop a matrix covered from end to end by yellow Calcite. A gorgeous large
cab!
From the Meikle Mine, Bootstrap District, Elko County, Nevada.
Measures 10 cm by 18 cm by 11 cm in total size.
Price $4500
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MIN#Denver2009-74 NEW!
Rare plate of Forsterite var. Peridot
crystals on stabilized matrix!
This plate is from Burma and is loaded with gemmy green Peridots which grew inside a
matrix
seam that stretches from front to back. There are well over a dozen crystals here and most
are terminated outside the matrix. This is the first and only Peridot plate I've seen from
Burma.
From Bernardmyo, Mogok, Sagaing District, Mandalay Division, Burma (Myanmar).
Measures 10 cm by 12.6 cm in size with a see-through seam of
crystals!
Price $2450
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MIN#Denver2009-75 Sold!
Lustrous plate of golden-gray Smithsonite!
I describe this specimen as golden-gray instead of silver because there's a hint of yellow
in the mix. This definately adds a "glow" to the extremely lustrous botryoidal
surfaces.
From Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Measures 10 cm by 10.8 cm in size.
Price $485
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MIN#Denver2009-76 NEW!
Stunning specimen of Rhodochrosite on
needle Quartz with Hubnerite!
This is one of the finest Hedgehog miniatures that I've seen! The largest rhomb
measures 2.2 cm in size and displays a vibrance of color that you usually don't find
in Hedgehog Pocket specimens. All the Rhodochrosite surfaces are glassy and complete
with some natural facial stepping on the left corner. The rhomb is completely pristine!
From the Hedgehog Pocket, Main Stope Drift, Sweet Home Mine,
Alma, Colorado.
Measures 5 cm by 4.8 cm in size.
Price $5500
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MIN#Denver2009-77 SOLD!
Exceptional and very rare
specimen of Beryl var. Morganites with an enhydro!
Superb California Morganite specimen featuring
two glassy Morganites which gradually shift
towards Goshenite near the Albite matrix. The largest crystal measures 4.5 cm by 4.2 cm in
size
and features a large and quite easy to move water bubble (enhydro) just under the surface.
I love
enhydro specimens and always find them fascinating. It's amazing how a drop of water can
become
entrapped over the many years it takes for a large Beryl to grow and completely encase it.
This
enhydro is easily rolled back and forth by tipping the specimen. The color shift from
Morganite
to Goshenite is also rare and unusual. The underlying matrix is mainly Albite and Smoky
Quartz.
From the Oceanview Mine, San Diego County, California.
Measures 10.8 cm by 7.2 cm by 8.3 cm in total
size.
Ex. Bill Larson Collection
Price $6500
 Photo by Joe Budd |
Amazing specimen featuring a large 1
inch Native Silver spinel on Calcite!
There are numerous spinel twins scattered all over
the white Calcitic matrix. This is one
of the most impressive Batopilas Silvers I've seen or owned and I'm happy to be able to
offer it in this update. The entire specimen is crystalline with a beautiful antiquish
patina.
From Batopilas, Andres del Rio District, Mun. de Batopilas,
Chihuahua, Mexico.
Measures 6 cm by 4.9 cm in size.
Ex. Richard Heck, Bergmann Mineral Collections
Currently in the Kevin Ward Personal Collection
Price $6500
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UNIQUE!! Multi-colored Smithsonite
with orange caps!
I call this the "Mushroom Smithsonite"
because the orange caps over the surface growth
look like the tops of mushrooms. Actually, you have three distinct layers of growth on
this
unique looking specimen. The first is a misty-blue layer which covers the matrix. The
second
is a more lustrous white layer. The third and final is the most lustrous yet - the orange
colored
top layer of Cadmium Smithsonite which only appears draped atop the other two layers.
One
must wonder if the Cadmium layer appeared last and never completed its growth or were the
sides etched away leaving only the caps? I see evidence of both possibilites but the
former seems the
most likely explanation. Whatever the cause, it resulted in a specimen that is both odd
and beautiful.
From the El Refugio Mine, Choix, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Measures 6.8 cm by 12 cm by 4.4 cm in size.
Price $2850
FOR ADDITIONAL NEW SPECIMENS, GO TO Denver 2009 Room 5 !
Rhodochrosite Room | Gold Room | Silver Room | Beryl Room | Elmwood Room | Exceptional Minerals
