Libyan Desert Glass is believed to be the result of the impact of a large meteorite, or the result of a significant aerial burst explosion around 28.5 million years ago (dated by the fission track method). They are the purest form of natural glass on earth, containing over 96% silica. They were first discovered by ancient Egyptians as evidenced by a scarab beatle carvings found on the mummy of King Tutankhamun. Today they are found in the deep Saharan desert, two days driving into a militarized zone near the border of Libya and Egypt (good times!). The leading theory leans towards an aerial burst ten thousand times more powerful than the Hiroshima nuclear detonation (Boslough). Some pieces have dark streaks; chemical analyses of these inclusions show enrichment by meteoritic elements, such as Osmium, with typical chondritic proportions (Koeberl C.). 

 This is a monster, museum quality piece of Libyan desert Glass. The color is a rich, gem quality yellow color. This is a ventifact which is a stone that is naturally shaped by the wind. In the third picture I use my hand to show the line on the piece where it was emerging out of the sands of the Sahara desert. Where it was above the sand, the texture is smooth and polished. Below the line, it is a little more coarse. Large ones like this are quite rare with the rich, top  gemmy yellow color. It weighs 406 grams.

QUARTZ66 - Quartz Var. Smoky Amethyst with Lepidochrosite incls.
$ 225.00 SOLD NET
Goboboseb Mountains, Brandberg district, Erongo region, Namibia
small cabinet - 7 x 1.6 x 1.1 cm

Crystals from this area are often misidentified as being from "Brandberg, Namibia," which is actually a deposit within a nature preserve in the same district. The Goboboseb mountains, in the Erongo region from which this cluster was found, is know for its remoteness, as the nearest water source is over 35 kilometers away. The host basalt has been dated to over 200 million years old. I have discussed this with geologists, who have theorized that Quartz crystals from the Goboboseb mountains have probably been crystallized for that same length of time! 

This piece has been in our reserve for many years. It is gemmy and bright and damage-free. There is amazing zoning of purple and black phantoms, with a clear point.  

 

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QUARTZ67 - Quartz var. Smoky w/ iron coated Epidote incls.
$ 195.00 SOLD
Aruscuai, Minas Gerais, Brazil
cabinet - 11 x 5.8 x 3.5 cm

This is a great example of a new find out of brazil. At first glance it appears to be thick Rutile crystals, but actually it is iron coated Epidote. the Quartz is bright and lustrous. As was the case with 90% of this material, there is some damage to the right side as pictured. The inclusions are quite unique and we'll see if more comes out. It weighs 215 grams.

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BERYL8 - Beryl var. goshenite rough and cut
$ 495.00 SOLD NET
Africa
small cabinet - 5.5 x 5.2 x 2.2 cm

I acquired about 1,000 pounds of beryl from a family who's father had worked in a northern ohio factory from the mid 1950's to the early 1990's. The company imported Beryl ore from Africa, and smelted the ore in large furnaces (1400 C). They sold the refined Beryllium ingots to NASA for use in constructing heat shields for space craft. The father of the family was a rock hound who would pick pretty pieces off the ore piles during his lunch breaks. I was happy to get his "stash," of beryl and spent weeks screening and sorting the rough to find gems like this one.

The rough is a non-damaged, lightly etched goshenite crystal that weighs 86 grams and is internally clean (can be faceted). The stone was cut by American cutter Michael Davis. It is a very bright, flawless modified Barion cut (rectangular cushion) that weighs 34.50 carats. The siblings of these two pieces were smashed, melted and shot into space.

 

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BERYL9 - Beryl var. goshenite rough and cut
$ 950.00 SOLD NET
Africa
small cabinet - 5.9 x 4.5 x 2.1 cm

I acquired about 1,000 pounds of beryl from a family who's father had worked in a northern ohio factory from the mid 1950's to the early 1990's. The company imported Beryl ore from Africa, and smelted the ore in large furnaces (1400 C). They sold the refined Beryllium ingots to NASA for use in constructing heat shields for space craft. The father of the family was a rock hound who would pick pretty pieces off the ore piles during his lunch breaks. I was happy to get his "stash," of beryl and spent weeks screening and sorting the rough to find gems like this one.
The rough is a damage-free,  lightly etched, goshenite crystal that weighs 92 grams and has large areas inside that could be facetted. The stone was cut by American cutter Jay Medici. It is a nine sided cut that weighs a whopping 136 carats! I used different lighting methods to show the range of brilliance of both pieces.  The siblings of these two pieces were smashed, melted and shot into space.

 

 

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TOURM54 - Tourmaline var. Bi-color Elbaite
$ 445.00 SOLD NET
Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego Co., California
miniature - 4.5 x 1.6 x 1.4 cm

This  tourmaline has rich gemmy color saturation, and a brilliant, flat termination. It is choice quality, as other rubellite from here is often a brownish red and not as valuable. Near the bottom, the pink terms green. In great condition, only two of the tiniest chips (less than 1 mm in size). It weighs 20.7 grams. 

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(click on the pictures to enlarge)

SMITHSONITE5 - Smithsonite
$ 325.00 NET
Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia
thumbnail - 2.3 x 2.8 x 1.2 cm

The Tsumeb mine was a prolific producer of copper based minerals for many decades. This Smithsonite is a most unusual form. It is a spray of highly reflective needle-like crystals that together have a striking pinkish-cognac color. No apparent damage. 

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