Herkimer Diamonds are clear, double terminated Quartz crystals found in Herkimer County, New York. They were named after a general Herkimer in the mid part of the 1800's. They are found in silicified Limestone, otherwise known as Dolomite. This incredibly hard host rock, makes for slow mining and lots of broken bones and injuries to miners. The clearest Herks are usually found in small pockets with only a few crystals in them. Larger clusters that are often more cloudy and included, occur in larger pockets. This Herkimer was one of the nicest crystals out of a collection I selected from in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mrs. Dreicorn had mined herkimers in the 1960's with her father, and had several bags of them that I chose from. This crystal has a small crystal attached on its side (seen in pic "herkimer1b"), also a fluid inclusion with a stationary Anthraxolite inclusion. The crystal is in great condition, it has a very small patch where another herkimer contacted it in the pocket (not considered damage).

OLMIITE3 - Olmiite
$ 75.00 (=~ CAN$ 101.15)
N Chwanning II Mine, Kuruman, Republic of South Africa
miniature - 4.8 x 4.3 x 1.2 cm

Once regarded as Poldervaartite, this mineral was later known to be Olmiite due to a higher concentration of Manganese than originally observed. This piece shows unique, bright barrel-like crystals on a matrix covered with druzy calcite. It is mounted on a 1 1/4" acrylic base (not pictured). There is a small ding on the mid right section of the piece, which is easily seen in the pics. Overall, a good sample of this interesting mineral. 

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AMETHYST2 - Quartz Var. Amethyst "Antenna Quartz"
$ 135.00 (=~ CAN$ 182.08) SOLD
Goboboseb Mtns. Brandberg Dist. Erongo Region, Namibia
thumbnail - 4 x 4.5 x 3.7 cm

This unusual example of "antenna Quartz," occurred as a brief layer in  a Quartz vein in the Goboboseb mountains in Namibia. The vein was frosty white quartz, and then they hit a layer where there were secondary growth of Amethyst on the white quartz crystals. This secondary growth may be considered "reverse sceptering," as the Quartz grows skinnier and more narrow, compared with scepters where they expand outward. It's in good condition, and comes mounted on a 1 1/4" stepped acrylic base (not pictured).

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TOPAZ1 - Topaz var. Imperial
$ 65.00 (=~ CAN$ 87.67) SOLD
Oro Preto, Brazil
thumbnail - 2.6 x 1.7 x 1.2 cm

This piece came out of Hawthorneden's unprepped area. It has good color, and is not dinged (like most of them). Imperial Topaz is found in Oro Preto Brazil. It is an unusual color for Topaz as colorless is the most common. It's heavy for its size and weighs 8.7 grams. 

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HESSONITE2 - Garnet var. Hessonite
$ 95.00 (=~ CAN$ 128.13) SOLD
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos, Quebec, Canada
thumbnail - 2.3 x 3.0 x 1.8 cm

This is a good example of a Hessonite Garnet, from the Jeffrey mine in Quebec. Small size garnets lead up to a single larger one at the top of the cluster. The larger one measures about 1 x 1 cm.  It comes on a 1 1/4" black acrylic base. The Jeffrey mine has been closed to collecting for many years, as I've heard NASA has leased it to mine asbestos for use in their heat shields. Specimens have become more and more scarce. 

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APOPH1 - Apophyllite on Stilbite
$ 235.00 (=~ CAN$ 316.95) SOLD
Poonah District, Maharashtra, India
miniature - 4.5 x 5.0 x 2.8 cm

This Apophyllite was mined around 1988 in Poonah. The mine that produced Apophyllite with this classic emerald-like color, was closed around 1990 and housing was built on top of the site (yes India is well populated!). Apparently the mine yielded industrial basalt for the construction trade that was of poor quality -- probably due to the gas pockets that in turn allowed the Apophyllite to grow. This color Apophyllite has become a classic amongst Indian zeolite collectors, as no other area has produced the same shade of green as the old Poonah deposit. 

This specimen has large crystals in high concentration, with good color saturation. It contrasts with the bright white stilbite underneath. It comes mounted on a 1 1/4" acrylic base.

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BRAZILIANITE1 - Brazilianite and Albite
$ 350.00 (=~ CAN$ 472.05) SOLD
Telirio Mine, Divina das Laranjeiras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
small cabinet - 7.0 x 5.5 x 3.3 cm

This dramatic cluster of Brazilianite and Albite crystals was originally in the Hawthorneden stock. It was originally priced much higher than $350. We lowered the price to reflect a market value due to a new pocket found in Brazil in 2008. This piece is aesthetic as it has Brazilianites ranging from under 5 mm long to nearly 5 cm long on the same piece. In pic #3, you can see the "criss-cross of two large crystals. The one in the back is opaque, and the one in the front is bright and gemmy. It's in fine condition with no visible dings. It displays nicely as well. 

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(click on the pictures to enlarge)

SIKHOTE2 - Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
$ 195.00 (=~ CAN$ 263.00) SOLD
Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Eastern Siberia, Russia
small cabinet - 6 x 3.8 x 2 cm

This iron meteorite fell on Feb. 12, 1947 in the Sikhote-alin Mountains of Eastern Siberia, Russia. It is the largest observed meteorite fall in history, with over 23000 kg raining down on the earth in the form of iron shrapnel and the more rare individual fallen meteorites such as this one. It is covered in regmaglypts, the indentations that give the piece contours. I put this piece away, back when this meteorite was readily available on the market. A couple years ago, the Russian government has made it difficult to export, and diggers I knew said there was almost nothing left to find. It weighs 80.5 grams

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