FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Louis Friend]

Dear Tobi:

I thank you for your kind words. I am very passionate about teaching and education, whether it is in Physics or the hobby of mineral collecting. During the course of my time on FMF, I hope to make many meaningful contributions that genuinely help other collectors, and I hope I have done that so far. I hope I have shown that acrylic stands are accessible to every collector. I will be looking at new labeling techniques that should be very easy to reproduce, and I am looking into a DIY project that can help the collector take great photos of their minerals.

Kind Regards

Louis

[Louis Friend]

CALCITE - Cobaltoan

This piece (a particular favourite with the wife) is a beautiful pink mass of calcite rhombs on a limonitic matrix. I have included a photo of the stand and label. I printed the label on glossy photographic paper and then laminated it. I will post details of the process under the “Acrylic stands” section of FMF. Others might find it instructive. The labels do look very nice for a “home-made” job.

[Louis Friend]

MALACHITE - BOTRYOIDAL

This piece is a very nice mass of beautiful botryoids, which line a vug in limonitic matrix. It is a very 3D piece and malachite is now becoming one of my favourite minerals. I have included a photo of the stand and label. I printed the label on glossy photographic paper and then laminated it. I will post details of the process under the “Acrylic stands” section of FMF. Others might find it instructive. The labels do look very nice for a “home-made” job.

[Tobi]

Great cobaltoan calcite - superb colour!

[Louis Friend]

Dear Tobias:

Again many thanks for your kind and encouraging words. I want my collection to reflect all aspects of the mineralogical world; aesthetics, rarity, technical interest and perhaps even extravagance. I hope I am succeeding in my quest.

Kind Regards

Louis

[Louis Friend]

CERUSSITE ON BARYTE

The specimen comprises two gemmy crystals of Cerussite on a limonitic matrix that also hosts light pink blades of Baryte. Also included on the matrix is coarse-grained hematite. I have included a few macro shots of the large Cerussite (~2cm) and its smaller partner. The photos also include stand and label.

[Louis Friend]

ILVAITE

The specimen comprises a cluster of large and highly lustrous Ilvaite crystals with “textbook” terminations. The largest crystal is 9cm long and 6 cm wide at the termination. The terminations show the “chisel-shaped” morphology. The photos also include stand and label. The stand is not actually complete. I am getting a smaller nozzle for my MAPP Burner so I can flame polish small parts.

A NOTE ON LOCALITY

I have spent some time trying to establish the correct locality for many of the “Inner Mongolian” specimens. I recall from an edition of “Minerals Live” sometime last year that one of the presenters said that their Ilvaite and the Arsenopyrite specimens did not come from an Iron mine; they came from a Lead and Zinc mine and reference was made about it being a skarn deposit.

As many of you might already know the Huanggang mine along with the Dajing and Anle ore deposits occur in the Huanggang-Ganzhuermiao polymetallic ore belt in southern Daxinganling Mountains. The three ore deposits were formed in the Mesozoic period. Huanggang deposit is largest Fe-Sn paragenetic skarn deposit in the area, and indeed in the whole of Northern China. The Dajing deposit is a large Sn-Cu hydrothermal mine which hosts Sn-Cu mineralization in the centre of the deposit and Pb-Zn in the outer zones of the deposit. The Anle deposit is another hydrothermal type deposit, which also hosts Sn mineralization. The only Pb/Zn skarn type mine that is close to Huanggang is the Sumugou deposit.

I would be keen to hear from anyone who has definitive proof as to the true locality for both the Ilvaite and Arsenopyrite specimens from Inner Mongolia. I also include with this the combo pieces comprising Ilvaite and Arsenopyrite, and with Hedenbergite.

[Louis Friend]

ARSENOPYRITE ON QUARTZ

The piece consists of a perfectly terminated quartz crystal with clusters of Arsenopyrite crystals rising from the base to about the middle of the quartz. The Arsenopyrite has a nice bronze luster on some of the crystal faces, and displays a prominent “cock-comb” habit typical of many of the Inner Mongolian Arsenopyrite specimens.

[Louis Friend]

GALENA – SPINEL TWINNED

The piece is a large mass of spinel-twinned galena. Some of the crystals display a melted, almost free flowing liquid style of morphology. Associated with the galena are a few gemmy quartz crystals, small but still visible nonetheless. Also shown are the stand and label.

[Louis Friend]

PYRITE ON PYRITE

The piece consists of large and very lustrous pyrite crystals (pyritohedra) to just over 5 cm on a matrix consisting of hundreds of smaller pyrite crystals (pyritohedra) to about 1cm. The crystal faces are complex, striated and upon closer inspection host some small crystals of a black mineral, which might be sphalerite or tetrahedrite. The exact identity of the black material is awaiting confirmation by XRD.

[Tobi]

Very nice, Louis!

[Louis Friend]

Dear Tobias:

Many thanks for your encouraging words. The pyrite was taken in a light tent – actually a cardboard box with three of the sides removed and covered in a cotton sheet to diffuse the light. The cardboard box looks a bit like the “skeletal galena” from Bulgaria. I am working on a light box with a removable top. Minerals that look like mirrors – pyrite etc can be photographed inside the box in diffuse lighting to reduce reflections and the lid can be removed to take photograph of minerals that need lighting to bring out some features of the mineral. Sounds confusing but when I have it all assembled I will post it as another DIY project.

Kind regards

Louis

[Louis Friend]

PYRITE

The piece consists of several large and very lustrous pyrite crystals (pyritohedra) to just over 5cm with complex and striated faces. The largest crystal has clusters of smaller pyrite crystals growing out of two of its faces.

[Louis Friend]

SKUTTERUDITE ON SKUTTERUDITE

The piece consists of large, sharp and extremely lustrous skutterudite crystals on a matrix of massive skutterudite. The largest skutterudite crystal is just over 2.5cm. Included are photographs of the stand and label. Regrettably the photographs do not show just how lustrous the crystals are – mirror like in fact!

[Louis Friend]

SCHEELITE ON MUSCOVITE


I have just “unboxed” the specimen, and though I have yet to make an Acrylic stand I thought I would post a few photos. The piece consists of a large, sharp and extremely lustrous Scheelite crystal on a matrix of Muscovite and minor Albite. The Scheelite is about 5cm wide and has the most amazing colour – bright orange, which I think my camera captured. Over the next few months, I will be focusing on more Scheelite and Cassiterite specimens from Mt Xuebaoding. I would not be surprised to see this locality becoming a “classic” for future mineral collectors.