FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tobi]

I think it was a good idea to take some better photos, this specimen deserves them. Actually copper is a mineral that doesn't attract me that much because most of the specimens are just amorphous masses. But I love copper specimens that show good crystalline structures, and your piece is a wonderful sample. The way it is built from several crystals stacked on each other, simply beautiful and unique!

Tobi

[Carles Millan]

[Tobi]

[Carles Millan]

[Carles Millan]

Celestine SrSO₄, Calcite CaCO₃

Description: Vug of sword-shaped celestine crystals, with excellent luster and sky-blue color, coated by small white creamy hedgehoglike calcite crystals. The specimen is an Autumn 2007 and exceptional find in the same locality as old findings in Torà, but the new specimen’s quality is much better. A specimen purchased in 2008 from Fabre Minerals, that is only interesting for local collectors.

Dimensions: 67 mm x 50 mm.
Mass: 95.2 g.
Locality: Costa de l'Aguda, Torà, Solsonès, Catalonia.

Mindat unique ID: MA0-VMR

Unless otherwise noted, all photos are copyright by Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited and the image not modified (if it is not too much to ask...). Creative Commons Attribution Licence - Some Rights Reserved.

Free software for mineral collectors, more photos, and several maps

[Carles Millan]

The publisher of the 2025 Colors of Europe Calendar, issued yearly by Lithographie LTD, has given me the privilege of selecting for the next year one of my specimens to illustrate one page. Gloria Staebler has been very kind to allow me to post these photos here in advance, since the calendar will not be available until the next few weeks. It also includes an image of an impressive Schneeberg proustite owned by Joan Massagué, who is an FMF member too.

Species: Fluorapatite Ca₅(PO₄)₃F, Siderite FeCO₃
Dimensions: 38 mm x 24 mm x 20 mm
Mass: 20.2 g
Locality: Panasqueira Mines, Portugal

Mindat unique ID: YP4-AR4

The images are copyright © Jeff Scovil.

Other photos of this specimen were formerly published at FMF in this post.

Free software for mineral collectors, more photos, and several maps

[James Catmur]

Superb Carles

[Don Lum]

Congratulations Carles those are beautiful specimens and photographs .

Don

[am mizunaka]

Wonderful choice for the calendar!

[Enrique Llorens]

Great! Carles

[John Cornish]

Hearty congratulations both Carles and Joan!!!

[Dany Mabillard]

What a beautiful specimen and photo ! Congratulations for the publication !

[Carles Millan]

To James, Don, Am, Enrique, John, and Dany:

I greatly appreciate everyone's comments. I am very pleased with them.

[Carles Millan]

[Carles Millan]

Celestine SrSO₄, Calcite CaCO₃

Description: Group of colorless and transparent, tabular, apparently (book) twinned crystals of celestine on a matrix of calcite. Purchased in 1966 from Francesc Coma Molist (former curator of the Folch collection) for €0.18. The specimen was later treated by me with HCl (aq) to expose the celestine crystals that were almost enclosed in the calcite matrix. Reference about the locality and the species: Book "Minerals de Catalunya del Museu Mollfulleda de Mineralogia d'Arenys de Mar", page 131. A specimen that may be interesting only for local collectors.

Dimensions: 62 mm x 39 mm x 32 mm.
Largest crystal size: 23 mm.
Mass: 105 g.
Locality: Barranc Torallola, Serradell, Conca de Dalt, Pallars Jussà, Catalonia.

Mindat unique ID: ALQ-YDD

Unless otherwise noted, all photos are copyright by Carles Millan. Reproduction allowed as long as the author's name is cited and the image not modified (if it is not too much to ask...). Creative Commons Attribution Licence - Some Rights Reserved.

Free software for mineral collectors, more photos, and several maps