FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Leon56]

Beryl var. Heliodor

Source: Virgem da Lapa, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Size: 3.0 x 2.5 x 2.4 cm (thumbnail)

Interpretation:
The mineral come from USA, from the ex. Lloyd Tate collection (Texas mineral collector Lloyd Tate was born in Princeton, and grew up in a number of small towns widely scattered across the map of Indiana—lastly in Ellettsville, near Bloomington)

Interesting:
Neat gemmy yellow naturally etched floater crystal of heliodor. No damage - complete all around. Just a little more instance of potentiation price.

[Leon56]

Beryl var. Aquamarine with Muscovite

Huya beryl-scheelite deposit, Huya village, Mt Xuebaoding, Pingwu Co., Mianyang Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China

Size: 4.3 x 3.7 x 3.0 cm (miniature)

ex. Lloyd Tate Collection

Due to a very attractive appearance, this mineral belongs to the most beautiful in my collection.

Aquamarine (from Latin: aqua marina, "water of the sea") is a blue or turquoise variety of beryl.

[Leon56]

BERYL VAR GOSHENITE

Pingwu-Songpan - Sichuan - China
Beautifully isolated gem Goshenite Beryl sitting on Albite and Mica. Almost colourless with a slight bluish tinge, it measures 2.5cm across.

Size: 5.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm

Goshenite is the colorless variety of beryl mineral group and is named after the site where it was first discovered, Goshen in Massachusetts. Sometimes it is also known as "white beryl" or "mother of gemstones."

[Leon56]

BARYTE

Location of mineral deposit: Meikle Mine, Elko County, Nevada.

Description: Lustrous golden-yellow translucent-to-transparent Baryte crystals on gray sulfide-rich quartz. The Baryte crystals are tabular rhombohedral form with glassy crystal faces. Scattered damage to the crystal edges throughout.

Overall size of mineral specimen: 5x3.5x3.5 cm.
Size of individual crystals: 3-38 mm.

This beautifully crystalized mineral attracted me despite its low price so it is one of the favourites in my collection.

[Leon56]

Datolite - Dal'nergorsk Mine, Russia

Size: 7 x 4 x 4 cm

Bright well defined pale green Datolite crystals. Datolite crystallizes in the monoclinic system forming prismatic crystals

[Leon56]

Spessartine (Garnet group)

Wushan, Tongbei, China

Specimen size : 9 x 5 x 4 cm. Crystal size : 1 cm

Orange Spessartine garnets from China. Lustreous, highly transparent crystals forming very aesthetic group with good contrast.


Major members of the Garnet group:
Pyrope Mg3Al2Si3O12
Almandine Fe3Al2Si3O12
Spessartine Mn3Al2Si3O12
Andradite Ca3Fe2Si3O12
Grossular Ca3Al2Si3O12
Uvarovite Ca3Cr2Si3O12

[Leon56]

Andradit (Garnet group)

Source: Marki Khel, Distrikt Khogyani, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

Specimen size : 4.5 x 3.5 x 3 cm.

Andradit:
• Melanite: Black in color, referred to as "titanian andradite".
• Demantoid: Vivid green in color, one of the most valuable and rare stones in the gemological world.
• Topazolite: Yellow-green in color and sometimes of high enough quality to be cut into a faceted gemstone.

[Leon56]

Grossular (Garnet group) variety Hessonite

Source: Mana Mine, Barang, Bajawar, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan

Size : 4.5 x 3.5 x 3 cm.. Crystal size : 3.5 cm.

A new find of orange brown Grossular - Hessonite garnets from Pakistan. Lustreous, highly transparent crystals forming very aesthetic groups.

Grossular - varieties of which are hessonite or cinnamon-stone and tsavorite.

[Leon56]

[Leon56]

Baryte

Source: Androvo mine, Zlotograd, Rhodope Mts. Bulgaria

Size: 5,5 x 4,5 x 2,5 cm
Weight: 32 g


Description: Lustrous, transparent crystal of baryte on matrix. Crystals size up to 1.3 cm. Good specimen for this rare locality for baryte. Specimen mounted on acrylic base.

[Leon56]

Beryl var. aquamarine & Smoky quartz

Source: Haramosh Mts., Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan

Specimen size: 6,5 cm x 5,5 cm x 4cm
Crystal size: 3,7 cm x 1,2 cm

CURIOSITY:

Aquamarine is beryl, beryllium-aluminum-silicate mineral. Name is derived from Latin words meaning sea and water, therefore name "aquamarine" means sea water.
From the light blue of the sky to the deep blue of the sea, aquamarines shine over an extraordinarily beautiful range of mainly light blue colours.

COLOUR
Aquamarine gets its colour due to trace amounts of iron impurities in the beryl structure. The color of the gemstone ranges from pale green, to pale blue, to blue, depending on the relative concentrations of Fe2+ to Fe3+ ions and on the location of these iron impurities within the beryl crystal structure. Heating green-blue aquamarine reduces the iron impurities; thereby eliminating the yellow and green colors leaving only the pure blue color which is most popular today.

Clear yellow beryl, occurring in Brazil, is sometimes called aquamarine chrysolite. The deep blue version of aquamarine is called maxixe. Its color fades to white when exposed to sunlight or is subjected to heat treatment, though the color returns with irradiation.

[Leon56]

CREEDITE

Source: Creedite from Mina Navidad, Abasolo, Durango, Mexico

Size: 7,3 cm x 5,5 cm

Aesthetic, larger crystals.



What is CREEDITE ?

Creedite is a rare calcium aluminium sulfate fluoro hydroxide mineral. Creedite forms colorless to white to purple monoclinic prismatic crystals.

Interesting

Creedite was first described in 1916 from the Creed Quadrangle in Mineral County, Colorado. Mineral County is the third least populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the many valuable minerals found in the mountains and streams of the area. The county seat and the only municipality in the county is the Town of Creede.

[Leon56]

VANADINITE

Mibladen mine, Morocco.
Mibladen Mine, Mibladene (Mibladén; Mibladan; Miblanden), Upper Moulouya lead district, Midelt, Khénifra Province, Meknès-Tafilalet Region, Morocco
The mining district of Mibladen is located 15 km from Midelt in the Central Marocco.
A district world-famous for its excellent vanadinite crystals. Main Mibladen Alteration Minerals: Vanadinite, Cerussite, Baryte, Wulfenite, Anglesite.

Size: 5,72 cm x 1,5 cm

Vanadinite –
It is the most famous secondary mineral of Mibladen mine and the occurrence it is for sure the best of the world. Vanadinites occur in an infinite variety of color and form ranging all the way from almost black through the browns and dark browns to the red, lighter red and yellow orange.

[Leon56]

Epidote, Quartz

Sichuan Province, China

Size: 7.5 x 5.2 x 3.4 cm

The quartz in this specimen is very gemmy and lustrous. The phantoms in the quartz are vivid due to micro spheres of hematite included in the quartz. Colored by hematite - good color.

[Leon56]

Sulfides & Quartz, Beautiful Specimen

Mirror-brilliant black Sphalerite crystals to 1.5 cm., topped by golden Pyrite cubes and water-transparent Quartz crystals.

Nice rock, from the Alimon Mine, Huaron Mining District, San Jose de Huayllay, Cerro de Pasco, Pasco

Country: Peru
Size: 6.5 x 4.5 x 4.0 cm.