View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Sep 26, 2009 08:26 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
One other photo by Isaias Casanova
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29670 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Sep 26, 2009 12:37 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Two more quartzes that I acquired in Denver. The bottom one is quartz with inclusions of asthophyllite from Zagi Mountain, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan, 8 cm across. This represents an upgrade as I already had a specimen of this which is not nearly as nice. The other is simply an odd example of colorless quartz on smoky quartz, two generations, from Salinas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 8 cm high. It is also very nice on the back side. A good buy at $40.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29632 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29671 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 4905
Location: Barcelona
|
Posted: Oct 21, 2009 05:12 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
John S. White wrote: | This is one of my favorite specimens, it is a drusy quartz encrusted scalenohedral calcite from the Fuzichong mine, Guandong, China. It measures 9 cm from tip to tip. |
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29525 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Oct 21, 2009 07:37 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Another favorite, a quartz scepter parked next to a reverse scepter in a semi-circular gas bubble cavity in rhyolite from the Liliana mine, Chihuahua, Mexico. The entire piece was sawn into a nearly square block by Benny Fenn who came up with this wonderful piece.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29482 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
John Cornish
Joined: 19 Oct 2009
Posts: 126
Location: Port Angeles
|
Posted: Oct 21, 2009 10:06 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Hi John,
First off, thank you for sharing so many fine examples from your collection, each is a pleasure to behold!
I wanted to comment on your Leshan, Sichuan, China quartz from the first page... from near you, in Virginia, come some quartz's that are very similar in appearence, these are from a farm in Smyth Co., Virginia and are a near 100% match. I had several of these a few years ago and sent them to a collector in that area... I wish I had more, I'd send them your way my friend!
Any way, just a heads up! Have a great day and all the very best!
John
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
arturo shaw
Joined: 23 Oct 2009
Posts: 89
|
Posted: Oct 23, 2009 17:02 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Hi all,
I have recently visited the web page of a minerals seller who is using the mirror technique with very good results. Watching the pictures I guess he is using a very strong illumination source just in top of the piece. This reduces the amount (or the proportion) of light reaching the bottom of the piece and for this reason the reflection is seen quite dark and looks more like a shadow.
If anybody wants to try this, please, let us know if it is a practical improvement.
Greetings
Arturo
PS: for those who doesn't know me I have been a more or less active member at the other side of the forum for about two years now. Nice to meet you here or in München if you are comming.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Dec 06, 2009 10:00 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
While not always thought of as a mineral by many people, ice in the form of snow is one of the most beautiful even if ephemeral. This addition to my collection is what I discovered when I woke up this morning.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29111 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Tracy
Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 551
Location: Toronto
|
Posted: Dec 06, 2009 13:31 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Admittedly, this is a diversion too, but one that John initiated on his own....
John, we woke up to the same wonderful, awe-inspiring view as yours. Made even nicer by the fact that it's the weekend. :-)
- Tracy (loving her camera!)
ps Jim, there is no need to delete your posts - they can simply be moved to a new thread...perhaps into the "What Is it?" section of FMF. I'm sure Carles or Jordi can assist with that.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29080 Time(s) |
|
_________________ "Wisdom begins in wonder" - Socrates |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 4905
Location: Barcelona
|
Posted: Dec 06, 2009 14:12 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Jim Prentiss wrote: | Morning John,
The Habit of the minral Ice is even more varied that Calcite. Sure looks nice.
I am way up north in Warren, PA., and we barely got a skiff of snow this morning. But I have to go back to work ,down in your part if the world, in the morning, its nice to have a weather report. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Dec 06, 2009 14:17 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
On a more serious note here is my happiest acquisition at the recent Munich Show. This rutilated quartz is a real gem, the quartz has a brilliant luster and the inclusions are reticulated and evenly dispersed in a plane across the back side of the piece. It measures about 6 x 4 cm and is from Khaplu, Skardu, Pakistan.
Jim: I have not seen anything like your specimen from Brazil ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?t=823 ) so can't really guess as what the locality might be. It does appear to be a quartz cast after a minerl that probably existed as a cube.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
29002 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 11:43 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
One of the extraordinary "minaret" quartzes from the Liliana mine, Chihuahua, Mexico, acquired from Benny Fenn. The transparent and doubly terminated quartzes are attached all the way around the milky quartz "stem." According to Benny, the stems span open seams and are attached at both ends so they have to be broken free and thus are not terminated. The smaller quartzes on some specimens from here are light amethyst in color, but this one has no color. The milky stem is 4 cm high.
Description: |
My favorite minaret quartz |
|
Viewed: |
28892 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Elise
Joined: 22 Dec 2009
Posts: 243
Location: New York State
|
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 12:57 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
John S. White wrote: | While not always thought of as a mineral by many people, ice in the form of snow is one of the most beautiful even if ephemeral. This addition to my collection is what I discovered when I woke up this morning. |
John - one of my favorite books is the 1931 "Snow Crystals" by W.A. Bentley and W.J. Humphreys with its 2453 photographs of snowflakes. Aside from the amazing photographic implications, the collection of images themselves is wonderful for studying crystal symmetry (not to mention inspiration for cutting paper snowflakes).
On that extraordinary "minaret" pictured above, at what point do the crystals attach to the stem, or is it varied? I am trying to imagine how this might come about - similarly with the pink quartz halo on a single crystal quartz where the mass of crystals is growing outward in a ring around the central crystal (please feel free to move if this doesn't belong in this thread).
Best wishes,
Elise
_________________
Elise Skalwold
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 13:14 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Elise:
Curiously, they seldom are exactly at the center of the stem, usually slightly off-center. I have never seen them in place so it is possible that they are centered while attached but that when broken free more of the stem is recovered on one side than the other. But they are concentrated near the center all the way around and not scattered in various places all over the stem.
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 13:32 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Here is another scepter from the same locality. This piece is nearly 4 cm longest dimension. Also I am including a better photo of one I posted a while back. This is a circular cavity in rhyolite and the main scepter is 2 cm in size.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
28846 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
28811 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Elise
Joined: 22 Dec 2009
Posts: 243
Location: New York State
|
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 13:47 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Whoops, sorry - I worded that question poorly. I was curious whether the doubly terminated crystals attached themselves to the milky quartz via one of their crystal faces or at the juncture between faces - or does that matter at all in regards to how their crystal growth is initiated in the first place?
My interest stems from a picture I've contemplated on my wall for years of the Van Pelt Mineralogical Record 1999 cover Vol. 30, no. 5. "Van Allen Belt" at the Smithsonian. I wondered if this minaret is at all analogous in its formation.
Elise
_____________
Elise Skalwold
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
|
Posted: Dec 30, 2009 22:39 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Amazing John ! Here's to careful field collectors and the beauty the bring.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Jan 02, 2010 05:54 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Sorry Elise, not to have responded sooner. The "satellite" crystals on the minaret quartzes are all attached by their prism faces to prism faces of the stem. As you turn the pieces, all of the transparent crystals attached to each prism face of the milky stem reflect light simultaneously with the large prism face on the stem itself. They really are quite wonderful and I treasure these little gems of which I have a few. Their production, as is usually the case with fine minerals, did not last very long.
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Jan 02, 2010 10:04 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
I have been experimenting with Photoshop a little bit and here is the result of my best effort. I posted this photo a couple of days ago before doctoring.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
28573 Time(s) |
|
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Matt_Zukowski
Site Admin
Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 709
Location: Alaska
|
Posted: Jan 03, 2010 19:49 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
Cool specimen and quite an improvement in the look of the picture. alteredDSCN1485.jpg seems to show the glassiness of the qtx xtals much better. You also changed the background - I can see the jaggies at the bottom of the photo. How long did it take you to do this? Not dismissing Jeff Scovil's admonition that the only way to get a good photo is to take a good photo in the first place, I am beginning to think that some post processing of min picts may be useful because i find it hard to capture glassiness and some other features from camera shots alone. What do you think?
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Jan 04, 2010 06:15 Post subject: Re: John S. White collection |
|
|
It took perhaps a half hour because I am a novice with Photoshop and I learn by trial and error instead of using the tutorial. I have not had similar success with some other attempts.
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|