FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

Tobi · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 3229 Location: Good Old Germany

A large part of this Land, on the border with the Czech Republic, is covered by the Erzgebirge, which is German for “Ore Mountains”; a name that doesn’t need further explanation. Together with the Harz Mountains in the central north and the Black Forest in the southwest, these mountains were the most important mining region in German history. Legendary wire silvers, different lead and silver ores and once giant deposits of wonderful fluorites in all colors are only a few examples of the many minerals that once came from there. Besides the treasure chambers of that mountains, Saxony also features the famous Schneckenstein Rock – Europe’s only source for really fine gemmy topaz.

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: San Francisco

Penetration twin fluorite from Beihilfe Mine

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: San Francisco

Topaz on quartz from Schneckenstein

am mizunaka · Joined: 09 Apr 2010 Posts: 1370 Location: California

Fluorite, galena, quartz, and unidentified reddish mineral.
-> Most likely sphalerite (Tobi)

Tobi · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 3229 Location: Good Old Germany

Nice topaz, Jesse! Here's another specimen of Germany's only "gem classic":

Andreas Gerstenberg · Joined: 04 Mar 2010 Posts: 336 Location: Chemnitz

There are other European topaz occurences that gave gemmy material (even in Germany), think of the Ural mountains. The Schneckenstein is, however, the best known German locality. Saxony i would consider the mother country of mineralogy.

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: San Francisco

Here is another photo of the Schneckenstein topaz, along with an old label that came with it. Can anyone give any information about the dealer or collector who's label this was?

Geno · Joined: 15 Sep 2013 Posts: 4 Location: San Francico

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: San Francisco

Thank you. With my admittedly rudimentary understanding of German, I thought "niederlage" meant "defeat," which makes little sense in the context of a mineral label.

Tobi · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 3229 Location: Good Old Germany

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: San Francisco

Fluorite with Baryte, Pohla, Erzgebirge. I do not know the exact mine location for this specimen, can anyone help?

Andreas Gerstenberg · Joined: 04 Mar 2010 Posts: 336 Location: Chemnitz

Hi,

the mine was named Pöhla too. Sometimes you may see the expression "Wismutschacht". Pöhla was an uranium mine and "Wismut" the mining company, said in general parlance.

Cheers
Andreas

Andreas Gerstenberg · Joined: 04 Mar 2010 Posts: 336 Location: Chemnitz

The Sauberg mine near Ehrenfriedersdorf is one of the best-known Saxonian mines. Ehrenfriedersdorf is a very old tin mining district - so it´s not surprising that the locality is famous for cassiterite crystals. Other minerals worth mentioning are colourful apatites, good fluorite specimens, wolframite and quartz crystals as well as some rare minerals like herderite (type locality). The silver minerals are the treasures of every local collection but never reached the quality of the Freiberg or Schlema/Schneeberg specimens. Attached some samples from Sauberg mine which are all no museum specimens but some of those are rarely shown.

Andreas Gerstenberg · Joined: 04 Mar 2010 Posts: 336 Location: Chemnitz

A Saxonian region that is - let me put it this way - not that famous beyond the German borders is Upper Lusatia (Oberlausitz). It´s the north-eastern part of Saxony between Dresden and Brandenburg, known cities are Bautzen, Görlitz; Hoyerswerda and Radeberg (think of the beer...).

Fine smoky quartzes as well as feldspar crystals, rare fluorites, Be- and REE-minerals come from the Königshain granite quarries near Görlitz, the Pansberg quarry near Horscha is a locality for good variscites and wavellites, the Klunst quarry near Ebersbach gave zeolite minerals, nice epidote and calcite crystals. Two other places that should be mentioned are the Ossling quarry near Hoyerswerda (big, clear rock crystals, anatase, titanite) and the nickel mine near Sohland (pentlandite).

All Upper Lusatian localities don´t play a big role in the mineral world but things like 6 cm molybdenite crystals from Königshain are not bad at all, i´d say. Here are some samples from my collection:

Andreas Gerstenberg · Joined: 04 Mar 2010 Posts: 336 Location: Chemnitz

Mixed Saxon specimens

Jesse Fisher · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: San Francisco

Fluorite, Frohnau, Erzgebirge

Andreas Gerstenberg · Joined: 04 Mar 2010 Posts: 336 Location: Chemnitz

Rarities with their type locality in Saxony: chapmanite and emplectite. Both minerals occured only once more after the type discovery, emplectite in the 1980s in a few micromount samples and chapmanite in a single cabinet piece in 2002. Here are two oldtimers:

Andreas Gerstenberg · Joined: 04 Mar 2010 Posts: 336 Location: Chemnitz

The pyromorphite from Zschopau was already shown before, here´s another classic from there - the so-called "Blaubleierz". Zschopau was one of the first known occurences of this always sought-after pseudomorphs. This old sample comes from the collection of Fritz Seliger who served as a prospector for the last German emperor.