This royal blue Lapis free form sculpture has intense, fabulous color. (an even richer blue in person) It has an excellent polish (done in Hong Kong, not in Afganistan), and the shape itself resembles a spinnaker sail. It weighs 36.4 grams. It has just enough gold pyrite, and a tiny bit of white marble to accentuate the intense blue that only comes from the best Lapis. I pulled a handful of the best pieces from a large purchase of hundreds that I boughtover 8  years ago (since then the quality has been terrible). It exhibits the right combination of color, polish and shape. Set it on a shelf, or on your desk and enjoy its natural beauty. This is the same grade that cabs are cut from and set in gold rings. 

The Lapis carving is from  an extensive carving collection I purchased 4 years ago. It was carved in China around 1997. The quality of the Lapis matches well, they are the same height, and the quality of the Horse is excellent. It stands well by itself, being well balanced. I couldn't come close to replacing either of these two pieces on the market today.

COPPER12 - Copper pseudomorph after cuprite
$ 350.00 SOLD
Rubtsovsky Mine, Altai Krai, Siberia, Russia
thumbnail - 2.4 x 2.2 x 2 cm

The cuprites from the Rubtsovsky Mine in Russia are widely considered the best ever found. The Rubtsovsky Mine is an operating copper mine, and the oxidation zone has produced Cuprites, Azurites, native copper, silver, and iodine minerals like Miersite, and Marshite. I have been following the production for many years, and they are totally done producing cuprites, pseudos, etc. To better understand how these are unique and what pieces stand out from "the crowd." About 95+% of the production have damage of some kind to a corner or edge. This is largely due to the miners who when extracting crystals from the kaolin clay zone (which protects the Cuprites), they drop them into their pockets, and they get dinged. 

The copper pseudomorphs from here are quite rare (occuring less than 1% of the time vs. whole cuprites). This piece is quite large for a copper pseudo. I stashed this piece years ago, good ones like this are scarce on the market. no damage.  

 

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COPPER11 - Copper pseudomorphs after cuprite w/ Silver
$ 895.00 SOLD
Rubtsovsky Mine, Altai Krai, Siberia, Russia
miniature - 3.8 x 3.5 x 2.2 cm

The cuprites from the Rubtsovsky Mine in Russia are widely considered the best ever found. The Rubtsovsky Mine is an operating copper mine, and the oxidation zone has produced Cuprites, Azurites, native copper, silver, and iodine minerals like Miersite, and Marshite. I have been following the production for many years, and they are totally done producing cuprites, pseudos, etc. To better understand how these are unique and what pieces stand out from "the crowd." About 95+% of the production have damage of some kind to a corner or edge. This is largely due to the miners who when extracting crystals from the kaolin clay zone (which protects the Cuprites), they drop them into their pockets, and they get dinged. 

The copper pseudomorphs from here are quite rare (occuring less than 1% of the time vs. whole cuprites). This piece consists of about 19 distinct crystals, with one or two still showing the original cuprites. There's a small area with spongy silver. I stashed this piece years ago, good ones like this are scarce on the market.   

 

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AZURITE8 - Azurite pseudomorph after Linarite
$ 195.00 SOLD
Tazalart Mine, Tafraout, Morocco
small cabinet - 6.5 x 5.6 x 4 cm

This comes from a recent find of these unusual pseudomorphs, not widespread on the market. Good crystallization, no damage. 

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EMERALD8 - Beryl Var. Emeralds
$ 395.00 SOLD NET
Malyshevo, Ekaterinburg, Urals Region, Russia
miniature - 3.3 x 2.7 x 1.6 cm

This classic location has produced on and off for over a hundred years. Good colored emeralds are a bit hard to source, as most are a lighter green and not so gemmy. This specimen is the exeption, as both crystals are "emerald" green and gemmy. The longest emerald is 2.25 cm long by .8 cm wide. The fat one is 1.6 x 1.3 cm wide. No damage. 

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TOPAZ13 - Topaz
$ 345.00 SOLD
Shigar Valley, Baltistan, Pakistan
miniature - 3.5 x 2.3 x 2.2 cm

This is a fantastic crystal from the Shigar valley. It's totally pristine, no damage (which is common), Internally it appears to glow due to its internal flawlessness (as pictured). It came from a collection where it was acquired in 1983. (sunlight sensitive)

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TOURM53 - Tourmaline Var. Bi color Elbaite
SOLD NET
Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego Co., California
small cabinet - 6.5 x 2.2 x 2.1 cm

Gorgeous, thick and bright. Termination is good, internally it is gemmy and transparent, and the red top part of it is pinker rather than the more common reddish-brown color of rubellite from this location. There are a few micro dings on the edge of the termination (as pictured), hard to see unless you look very closely.  56 grams.

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BERYL7 - Beryl
$ 1750.00 SOLD NET
Padre Paraiso, Jaquitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
cabinet - 9.8 x 1.8 x 1.5 cm

This is an exceptional beryl crystal from Padre Paraiso. The termination is interesting and immaculate. The crystal is bright and long, exhibiting interesting internal characteristics. Good brazilian beryl crystals like this are hard to come by. I treally adds character to a collection with its pleasant green-blue color and bright characteristics. comes mounted on a 2" (5 cm) circular acryllic base 

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ADAMITE8 - Adamite on Limonite
$ 295.00
Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
cabinet - 10 x 9 x 9 cm

The Ojuela Mine is perhaps the most classsic well known mine in Mexico. Adamite was found here in the 1970's and again around 2009 when water levels dropped to reveal the levels where Adamite formed. This piece shows bright yellow acicular crystals forming inside a vug in the Limonite. The sprays average 1.5 cm long. An attractive specimen.

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RHODOCHROSITE9 - Rhodochrosite and Tetrahedrite
SOLD
Pincushion 2 pocket, Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado
miniature - 4.6 x 3.5 x 3 cm

This is a jewel Rhodochrosite rhomb nestled within Tetrahedrite and needle quartz crystals. The Rhodo is bright and red, sharp and damage-free. The Sweet Home mine in Alma, Colorado produced the best Rhodochrosite crystals in the world (although I absolutley love N'Chwanning Rhodos as well), this miniature was expertly trimmed creating a pleasant curve, and the contrast between black and red is excellent. the mine closed about 8 years ago, and good Rhodos are scarce and very expensive (this piece would typically be $2,500+)

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