FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[GneissWare]

Ed,
I picked up a large cabinet piece a couple of years ago, athough it was labeled as from Xikuangshan Antimony Mine, near Lengshuijiang, Shaoyang County, Hunan Province, China. I'll post a photo on my collection pages in a few minutes for comparison -> https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=7233#7233

Bob

[Carles Millan]

To Ed Huskinson:

Ed,

No, my Baryte with stibiconite is just an isolated specimen I purchased two years ago. As you may have seen, GneissWare has posted another one that must be from the same mine.

Thanks for your comments!

[Carles Millan]

To GneissWare:

Hi!

I'm sure your Baryte-stibiconite comes from the same locality as mine. But I don't know which is the right one. Perhaps some Chinese minerals connoisseur out there can help.

[GneissWare]

Ed,
Try googling "Xikuangshan stibiconite Baryte". You may find a few things of interest.
Bob

[Carles Millan]

Hi Bob!

And try googling "Lushi stibiconite Baryte". You may find a few things of interest too.

We need a Chinese minerals expert!!

[GneissWare]

Carles,

I'll be meeting with several Chinese experts on Thursday for dinner, and I'll ask their opinions on both pieces. I checked Mindat, and both are pieces are pictured, each with their respective localities, so that is no help.

I'll post whatever I find out, but even then, it may not clarify anything.

Bob

[Jordi Fabre]

[Carles Millan]

Apophyllite, stilbite

Cluster of colorless transparent prismatic apophyllite crystals, many doubly terminated, with minor stilbite crystals in association. It's a floater, I can see no point of attachment. Undamaged. Overall size: 100 mm x 70 mm x 40 mm. Largest apophyllite crystal size: 65 mm x 17 mm x 17 mm. Weight: 122 g.

Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India.

Photos copyright © Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited. Creative Commons Attribution Licence - Some Rights Reserved.

My Personal Site

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8444M-apophyllite2.jpg
Description:	Apophyllite, stilbite Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India 100 mm x 70 mm x 40 mm
Viewed:	51168 Time(s)

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8444M-apophyllite1.jpg
Description:	Apophyllite, stilbite Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India 100 mm x 70 mm x 40 mm Back view
Viewed:	51190 Time(s)

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[GneissWare]

Carles,
The consensus on the Stibnite on Baryte specimen from the Chinese experts is that both are from the Xikuangshan Antimony Mine.
Bob

[Carles Millan]

Hi Bob!

Where can I confirm that consensus? I must be sure before editing all my labels, physical and on the net.

Thanks,

[GneissWare]

Carles,

I asked an American who travels extensively in China procuring minerals and his Chinese buyer who also travels all over China buying and mining minerals. Both have seen these Stibnite/Baryte combos from Xikuangshan but not from the Dahegou Mine. This is not definitive proof, but between the two of them, they have handled many thousands of Chinese specimens.

You might want to ask the dealer you bought from if he can confirm the locality given, and maybe help research it back to his source.

Chinese minerals are notorious for their improper localities because many are collected illegally or without approval, so they hide the true locations to protect themselves. Unless you know the person who actually got them in China, or they are so obvious as to their location, it may be impossible for you to be 100 percent certain.

Bob

[Carles Millan]

Hi Bob!

Indeed I don't care much if the Baryte comes from Dahegou Mine or, as you suggest, from Xikuangshan Antimony Mine, since it is a specimen that I keep aside among the pieces I'd like to get rid of.

But, please, think about this: I posted a couple of photos of that Baryte at the Mindat site. If I edit the locality, the Mindat team will, as usual, ask me for a reference to justify the change. What do you think I'm going to tell them?

( For those who don't know what we are speaking about, that Baryte can be seen at https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=7206#7206 )

[GneissWare]

Carles,

I don't disagree with you. I am always reluctant to revise a locality until I have done enough research to satisfy myself that the change is warranted. The problem is that in some cases you can never be 100% certain, because very similar specimens come from different localities. Unless you can trace back the specimen through the supply chain, you may always be uncertain.

In my catalog, if I change a locality for a specimen, I always document what the original label states, in case I made an error, so that a future collector could correct the error.

Bob

[Carles Millan]

Fluorite, quartz

Group of deep purple cubic {100} fluorite crystals showing some phantoms, partly covered by very small quartz crystals. Overall size: 72 mm x 55 mm x 55 mm. Main crystal edge: 23 mm. Weight: 252 g.

Purchased in 1975 from Ernesto, a Berbes villager, for €1.20 (about €14 adjusted for today's inflation). Not a great deal of money!

Berbes Mining area, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain.

This specimen is no longer in my collection.

Photos copyright © Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited. Creative Commons Attribution License - Some Rights Reserved.

[Carles Millan]

(Old specimen, better photos)

Tetrahedrite, hübnerite, quartz

Miniature specimen with a single tetrahedral tetrahedrite crystal and some dark red to black hübnerite crystals set on a bed of crystallized colorless quartz. Overall size: 61 mm x 57 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal edge: 25 mm long. Weight: 110 g. I can't see any damage except in the periphery (the chip on the tetrahedrite edge seems to be a rehealing).

Actually a member of the series tennantite-tetrahedrite. So it might be from a Sb-rich tennantite to an As-rich tetrahedrite, somewhere between.

Mundo Nuevo Mine, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión, La Libertad, Peru.

Photos copyright © Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited and the image not modified. Creative Commons Attribution Licence - Some Rights Reserved.

My Personal Site

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2271M-tetrahedrite.jpg
Description:	Tetrahedrite, hübnerite, quartz Mundo Nuevo Mine, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión, La Libertad, Peru 61 mm x 57 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal edge: 25 mm long Front view
Viewed:	52959 Time(s)

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2271M-tetrahedrite1.jpg
Description:	Tetrahedrite, hübnerite, quartz Mundo Nuevo Mine, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión, La Libertad, Peru 61 mm x 57 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal edge: 25 mm long
Viewed:	52886 Time(s)

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2271M-tetrahedrite2.jpg
Description:	Tetrahedrite, hübnerite, quartz Mundo Nuevo Mine, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión, La Libertad, Peru 61 mm x 57 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal edge: 25 mm long
Viewed:	52876 Time(s)

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2271M-tetrahedrite3.jpg
Description:	Tetrahedrite, hübnerite, quartz Mundo Nuevo Mine, Huamachuco, Sánchez Carrión, La Libertad, Peru 61 mm x 57 mm. Tetrahedrite crystal edge: 25 mm long Side view
Viewed:	52868 Time(s)

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