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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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 Posted: Jul 04, 2023 12:32 Post subject: Re: Silvia's Collection |
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| Sorry James, I called you Bob. I do not know why - perhaps old age is creeping up on me!!!
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James Catmur
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 1426
Location: Cambridge
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| Posted: Jul 04, 2023 15:41 Post subject: Re: Silvia's Collection |
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No worry, we all do that sort of thing as we age.
| silvia wrote: | | Sorry James, I called you Bob. I do not know why - perhaps old age is creeping up on me!!! |
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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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| Posted: Jul 05, 2023 15:48 Post subject: Monster Cuprite Crystal - Silvia's Collection |
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Shown is a beautiful specimen of the mineral Cuprite with minor Native Silver from the famous Rubtsovsk Mine. The specimen consists of a very large Cuprite crystal approximately 75 mm long (tip-to-tip) intergrown with two smaller Cuprite crystals each about 32 mm long. Blebs of native Silver are interspersed between some of the Cuprite crystals on the rear of the specimen. The Cuprite crystals display the octahedral habit with some dodecahedral modifications. The Cuprite crystals are light blue. Brilliant ruby red hues can be seen with transmitted light.
| Mineral: | Cuprite and Silver |
| Locality: | | Rubtsovskoe Mine, Rubtsovsky District, Altai Krai, Russia |  |
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| Dimensions: | 75 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
15664 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Cuprite and Silver |
| Locality: | | Rubtsovskoe Mine, Rubtsovsky District, Altai Krai, Russia | |
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| Dimensions: | 75 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
15657 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Cuprite and Silver |
| Locality: | | Rubtsovskoe Mine, Rubtsovsky District, Altai Krai, Russia | |
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| Dimensions: | 75 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
15660 Time(s) |
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Tobi
Site Admin
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 4204
Location: Germany
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| Posted: Jul 06, 2023 01:46 Post subject: Re: Silvia's Collection |
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| Incredible size - what a beautiful "monster"!
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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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| Posted: Jul 11, 2023 11:49 Post subject: Brochantite - Silvia's Collection |
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An enchanting and rich display specimen of the mineral Brochantite from the famous Milpillas mine in Mexico. The specimen consists of clusters of well-formed and sharp translucent emerald-green Brochantite crystals with chisel tip terminations. The crystals exhibit a bright glassy lustre and some exhibit multiple parallel striations along the length of the crystal. The largest crystals are about 10 mm in length. The white material might be Dickite.
| Mineral: | Brochantite |
| Locality: | | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico | |
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| Dimensions: | 6 cm x 4 cm x 1 cm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
15040 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Brochantite |
| Locality: | | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico | |
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| Dimensions: | 6 cm x 4 cm x 1 cm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
15061 Time(s) |
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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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| Posted: Jul 18, 2023 12:36 Post subject: Malachite - DRC Style - Silvia's Collection |
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Malachite
A beautiful large cabinet display specimen of the mineral Malachite from the famous Mashamba West mine in the DRC. The specimen is composed of oodles of intergrown well-formed stalagmites of botyroidal Malachite to 50 mm in length. Some of the stalagmites are covered with a second generation of crystallized Malachite.
I am very fond of Malachite, and I think it is a wonderful mineral to add to any collection. We try to collect the many morphological varieties of the mineral so as to add depth to our collection
In terms of quality to cost, it is possible to obtain some outstanding specimens for very little money. This applies especially to the material from the Congo. Equivalent quality historical pieces from Bisbee (USA), Burra (Australia) or Yekaterinburg (Russia) would be very expensive.
Malachite ‘rocks’ in my opinion!!
| Mineral: | Malachite |
| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Dimensions: | 170 mm x 120 mm x 70 mm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
14665 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Malachite |
| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Dimensions: | 170 mm x 120 mm x 70 mm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
14667 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Malachite |
| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Dimensions: | 170 mm x 120 mm x 70 mm |
| Description: |
| One of my 'classic' matrix views |
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| Viewed: |
14673 Time(s) |
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| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Description: |
An aerial photo of the Kolwezi mines as they appeared in early 2022.
Open Cut GPS coordinates (digital)
A - DIKULUWE PIT, -10.74472, 25.36250 – Sicomines (Gécamines/SIMCO/Chinese companies)
B - MASHAMBA WEST PIT, -10.74083, 25.37556 – Sicomines (Gécamines/SIMCO/Chinese companies)
C - MASHAMBA EAST PIT, -10.74250, 25.39472 - Kamoto Copper Company (Glencore) |
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14662 Time(s) |
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| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Aerial photo of the main Sicomines processing facility |
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| Viewed: |
14673 Time(s) |
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| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Description: |
| Mashamba East Pit (photo courtesy C. Kresse) |
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14672 Time(s) |
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| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Description: |
Mining Films – Kolwezi Mines
Empire of Dust is a documentary about the problems the Chinese Railway Engineering Company (CREC) encountered in constructing a 300 kilometer sealed road connecting Kolwezi with Katanga’s capital, Lubumbashi, formerly known as Elisabethville. The road was originally built by the Belgians in the 1950s but was neglected and had deteriorated since independence like the rest of Congo’s infrastructure. Lao Yang, who works for the company is repeatedly stunned at the level of incompetence, laziness, lack of organization and forethought of the local workers. Even the simplest tasks become extraordinary challenges for the Chinese engineers. It is a very amusing film, and highlights many of the problems people face in the Congo.
(Dust jacket photo courtesy of Bram Van Paesschen) |
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14659 Time(s) |
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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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| Posted: Jul 25, 2023 11:56 Post subject: Back to Panasqueira - Silvia's Collection |
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An enchanting and rich ‘combo’ specimen containing Marcasite, Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Calcite and Quartz from the famous Panasqueira mine in Portugal. The well-formed crystals of Marcasite with their characteristic hints of green measure to about 25 mm and sit proudly on top of the piece. The Calcite occurs as slightly curved flat rhomboids – a form commonly referred to by most mineral collectors as poker-chip Calcite. The Calcite crystals do display a very faint pink fluorescence in the presence of LED lighting, but in the absence of analysis it is not known if they are true Mangano-Calcite crystals. The Pyrite exhibits the pyritohedron form. The specimen may also host Dolomite. Some well-formed water-clear rhombs can be observed in the close up shots, but the true nature of these is yet to be confirmed.
I think it is a truly wonderful specimen, but I am very biased as I think the minerals of the Panasqueira mine rule the mineral kingdom.
| Mineral: | Marcasite, Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Calcite & Quartz |
| Locality: | | Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro, Portugal | |
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| Dimensions: | 6 cm x 6 cm x 4 cm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
14418 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Marcasite, Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Calcite & Quartz |
| Locality: | | Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro, Portugal | |
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| Dimensions: | 6 cm x 6 cm x 4 cm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
14432 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Marcasite, Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Calcite & Quartz |
| Locality: | | Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro, Portugal | |
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| Dimensions: | 6 cm x 6 cm x 4 cm |
| Description: |
This was shot using the ‘decelerating’ camera technique. This enables me to achieve full depth of field from the rear to the front – nothing is or should be fuzzy. The specimen was shot as a HD video and the video, about 2 seconds long was processed in Helicon focus. This was a first-attempt and I am happy with the results which are getting better with each photo.
FOV: 10 mm |
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| Viewed: |
14410 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Marcasite, Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Calcite & Quartz |
| Locality: | | Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro, Portugal | |
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| Dimensions: | 6 cm x 6 cm x 4 cm |
| Description: |
This was shot using the ‘decelerating’ camera technique. This enables me to achieve full depth of field from the rear to the front – nothing is or should be fuzzy. The specimen was shot as a HD video and the video, about 2 seconds long was processed in Helicon focus. This was a first-attempt and I am happy with the results which are getting better with each photo.
FOV: 10 mm |
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| Viewed: |
14443 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Marcasite, Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Calcite & Quartz |
| Locality: | | Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro, Portugal | |
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| Dimensions: | 6 cm x 6 cm x 4 cm |
| Description: |
This was shot using the ‘decelerating’ camera technique. This enables me to achieve full depth of field from the rear to the front – nothing is or should be fuzzy. The specimen was shot as a HD video and the video, about 2 seconds long was processed in Helicon focus. This was a first-attempt and I am happy with the results which are getting better with each photo.
FOV: 10 mm |
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| Viewed: |
14463 Time(s) |
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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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| Posted: Aug 01, 2023 12:12 Post subject: Photopeaking - Tricks and Treats - Malachite - Silvia's Collection |
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An enchanting and rich display specimen of the mineral Malachite from the famous Mashamba west mine in the DRC. The specimen consists of three large botryoids of Malachite coated with a second generation of Malachite crystals. The crystallized Malachite consists of oodles of well-formed translucent emerald-green crystals to 0.5 mm which gives the specimen a very ‘sparkly’ appearance when viewed in direct light. The Malachite sits on a matrix of fine grained Dolomite. Concentric bands of Malachite are visible at the boundary of the Malachite with the Dolomite.
| Mineral: | Malachite on Dolomite |
| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Dimensions: | 120 mm x 90 mm x 50 mm |
| Description: |
The photo of this specimen was taken using my Canon EOS M6 Mark II camera using the photopeaking method. The method is very briefly outlined on page 222 of the most recent addition of the Advanced Users Guide for the Canon EOS M6 Mark II. The feature is activated using the Camera’s firmware functions also described on page 222. The Camera is mounted on a very stable tripod. I select Av on the ‘mode dial’ located on the top of Camera body and then select AF using the ‘Focus mode Switch’ control lever located on the rear of the Camera body. The method requires the focus ring on the lens assembly to be adjusted until the subject or a section of the subject is in focus. The point of focus is indicated by a red band of dots shown on the LCD image of the subject. With mineral photographs it is necessary to use the LCD ‘zoom’ function set to either x5 or x10 to see if a particular section of the subject is in focus. If not, the focus ring on the lens assembly is adjusted to achieve focus. Often when one portion of the image of the mineral is in focus other portions will be out of focus. This is fine, and a direct consequence of using the photopeaking method to photograph mineral specimens. Multiple photos (sometimes as many as 40 or more depending on the size of the specimen) are taken to ensure all sub-sections (front to rear and side to side) of the mineral are in focus. These sub-sections are combined as one using the relevant image enhancing software.
I set the camera to take photos in both RAW mode and JPEG mode. When complete, the RAW photos are rendered using Canon’s excellent software package – Digital Photo Professional V4.18.0.0, by selecting tools and then activating the ‘Depth compositing’ function. The time to render the photos depends entirely on the number of shots taken and the style of shot in terms of resolution. For comparison purposes I also render the JPEG photos using Helicon Focus V8.1.1 software.
Equipment used:
CAMERA: Canon EOS M6 II, 32.5MP APS-C mirrorless with latest firmware
LENS: EFM 28mm, f/3.5 Macro IS STM with lens Hood.
TRIPOD: Joby Range Pod 1600 Tripod Kit
ADDITIONAL: ProMaster MR1 Macro Focusing Rail |
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| Viewed: |
13824 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Malachite on Dolomite |
| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Dimensions: | 120 mm x 90 mm x 50 mm |
| Description: |
The photo of this specimen was taken using my Canon EOS M6 Mark II camera using the photopeaking method. The method is very briefly outlined on page 222 of the most recent addition of the Advanced Users Guide for the Canon EOS M6 Mark II. The feature is activated using the Camera’s firmware functions also described on page 222. The Camera is mounted on a very stable tripod. I select Av on the ‘mode dial’ located on the top of Camera body and then select AF using the ‘Focus mode Switch’ control lever located on the rear of the Camera body. The method requires the focus ring on the lens assembly to be adjusted until the subject or a section of the subject is in focus. The point of focus is indicated by a red band of dots shown on the LCD image of the subject. With mineral photographs it is necessary to use the LCD ‘zoom’ function set to either x5 or x10 to see if a particular section of the subject is in focus. If not, the focus ring on the lens assembly is adjusted to achieve focus. Often when one portion of the image of the mineral is in focus other portions will be out of focus. This is fine, and a direct consequence of using the photopeaking method to photograph mineral specimens. Multiple photos (sometimes as many as 40 or more depending on the size of the specimen) are taken to ensure all sub-sections (front to rear and side to side) of the mineral are in focus. These sub-sections are combined as one using the relevant image enhancing software.
I set the camera to take photos in both RAW mode and JPEG mode. When complete, the RAW photos are rendered using Canon’s excellent software package – Digital Photo Professional V4.18.0.0, by selecting tools and then activating the ‘Depth compositing’ function. The time to render the photos depends entirely on the number of shots taken and the style of shot in terms of resolution. For comparison purposes I also render the JPEG photos using Helicon Focus V8.1.1 software.
Equipment used:
CAMERA: Canon EOS M6 II, 32.5MP APS-C mirrorless with latest firmware
LENS: EFM 28mm, f/3.5 Macro IS STM with lens Hood.
TRIPOD: Joby Range Pod 1600 Tripod Kit
ADDITIONAL: ProMaster MR1 Macro Focusing Rail |
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| Viewed: |
13845 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Malachite on Dolomite |
| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Dimensions: | 120 mm x 90 mm x 50 mm |
| Description: |
The photo of this specimen was taken using my Canon EOS M6 Mark II camera using the photopeaking method. The method is very briefly outlined on page 222 of the most recent addition of the Advanced Users Guide for the Canon EOS M6 Mark II. The feature is activated using the Camera’s firmware functions also described on page 222. The Camera is mounted on a very stable tripod. I select Av on the ‘mode dial’ located on the top of Camera body and then select AF using the ‘Focus mode Switch’ control lever located on the rear of the Camera body. The method requires the focus ring on the lens assembly to be adjusted until the subject or a section of the subject is in focus. The point of focus is indicated by a red band of dots shown on the LCD image of the subject. With mineral photographs it is necessary to use the LCD ‘zoom’ function set to either x5 or x10 to see if a particular section of the subject is in focus. If not, the focus ring on the lens assembly is adjusted to achieve focus. Often when one portion of the image of the mineral is in focus other portions will be out of focus. This is fine, and a direct consequence of using the photopeaking method to photograph mineral specimens. Multiple photos (sometimes as many as 40 or more depending on the size of the specimen) are taken to ensure all sub-sections (front to rear and side to side) of the mineral are in focus. These sub-sections are combined as one using the relevant image enhancing software.
I set the camera to take photos in both RAW mode and JPEG mode. When complete, the RAW photos are rendered using Canon’s excellent software package – Digital Photo Professional V4.18.0.0, by selecting tools and then activating the ‘Depth compositing’ function. The time to render the photos depends entirely on the number of shots taken and the style of shot in terms of resolution. For comparison purposes I also render the JPEG photos using Helicon Focus V8.1.1 software.
Equipment used:
CAMERA: Canon EOS M6 II, 32.5MP APS-C mirrorless with latest firmware
LENS: EFM 28mm, f/3.5 Macro IS STM with lens Hood.
TRIPOD: Joby Range Pod 1600 Tripod Kit
ADDITIONAL: ProMaster MR1 Macro Focusing Rail |
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| Viewed: |
13848 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Malachite on Dolomite |
| Locality: | | Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) | |
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| Dimensions: | 120 mm x 90 mm x 50 mm |
| Description: |
This photo was taken using what I call the decelerating camera technique using an AD407Pro-3D HDMI Soldering Digital Microscope. The Microscope is adjusted so that at the top point of travel the far field is in focus while at the lowest point of travel, the near field is in focus. Movement from top to bottom allows all aspects of the specimen to be in focus during travel. The total depth of travel may be anywhere from 3 mm to 10 mm and the ‘time of travel’ varies from 3 to 5 seconds. The image of the specimen is captured as a movie in the highest video (UHD) setting possible. The video is then loaded into Helicon Focus (V8.1.0.0) for rendering, and the rendered image edited and enhanced (if necessary) using Photoshop.
Incidentally, the Microscope belongs to my partner. He uses it (read used it) for soldering Surface Mount electronic components to PCB’s. At my request he is building an automated rail attachment so that the movement of the microscope body can be better controlled with a precision stepper motor and a suitable ‘speed’ control knob. The speed of the stepper motor movement (up or down) will be set using an ATmega328 microcontroller. I can safely say that the microscope is now mine! |
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13825 Time(s) |
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Forrestblyth
Joined: 21 Jun 2022
Posts: 56
Location: Ne244ly
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| Posted: Aug 02, 2023 08:37 Post subject: Re: Silvia's Collection |
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| Fantastic results. Very cleverly thought out techniques
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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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| Posted: Aug 02, 2023 14:57 Post subject: Re: Silvia's Collection |
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| Forrestblyth wrote: | | Fantastic results. Very cleverly thought out techniques |
Many thanks for your kind words. I enjoy passing on useful information. If I come across something that might help other collectors I feel compelled to tell. I was a teacher, and a teacher never really retires.
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silvia
Joined: 10 Oct 2021
Posts: 253
Location: UK
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| Posted: Aug 08, 2023 12:15 Post subject: Azurite - more photo tricks - Silvia's Collection |
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An enchanting specimen of large blocky Azurite crystals to 35 mm in length from the famous Milpillas mine in Mexico. The crystals are highly lustrous with noticeable striations along the length of the crystal. The Azurite displays the classic Milpillas wet look – a typical feature exhibited by many of the world-class Azurite specimens from the locality.
| Mineral: | Azurite |
| Locality: | | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico | |
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| Dimensions: | 8 cm x 6 cm x 5 cm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
5960 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Azurite |
| Locality: | | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico | |
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| Dimensions: | 8 cm x 6 cm x 5 cm |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
5915 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Azurite |
| Locality: | | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico | |
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| Dimensions: | 8 cm x 6 cm x 5 cm |
| Description: |
| Close up of the main crystals |
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| Viewed: |
5970 Time(s) |
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