Barite on Siderite

Barite on SideriteThese were the first Barites that I personally ever acquired from Bolivia. They came out of the ground in 2002 and are some of the most distinctive and excellent quality Barites that I have seen from Bolivia. I think that their appearance, aesthetics and displayability are secondary only to the superb quality of the Barite crystals themselves. The crystals on this specimen are sharp, well formed, lustrous, water clear to gemmy, tabular blades. The

I've seen hundreds of Chrysoberyls from Espirito Santo over the years

in late 2004 through early 2005

and it belongs to the only group of minerals that form naturally “round” or “cylindrical” crystals

and if you eliminate a few mines in Colorado

The TOP “porcelain”-esque luster combined with the larger

which is EXCEPTIONALLY RARE in my experience with the material

Specimen # AMAZWH111913

and a good overall specimen of this well-known material

but two eye-catching twins of Ferberite which are aesthetically intergrown to create a lovely display specimen

single floater octahedron of Spinel with a gorgeous reddish-pink interior

Specimen # BOL711B89

The base of the Topaz crystal has an interesting slightly etched opening along its natural cleavage but managed to hold together