Tucson 2002
Part I - Gem Pegmatite Minerals
This is the first page of gem pegmatite minerals that came home with me from the Big Show in Tucson, and these are some of the best things I found. I have been very fortunate to come to know some of the best importers and dealers of "our kind of rocks," and I owe several of them a debt of gratitude for saving special things for me, and for making them affordable.
I also scoured the remote corners of the Tucson shows, and found some great deals lurking here and there. I had a great time, as always, and I'm happy to share these specimens with you. I hope you enjoy looking at them!
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Tourmaline This is one exquisite tourmaline. From the deep kelly green, perfect termination with a triangular c-face, down the lighter bluish-green length of the crystal, this is a specimen of almost unreal beauty. The color is one of the rarest, and most sought-after colors in tourmaline, and is ony seen in a few crystals out of thousands. This is probably a once-in-10-years tourmaline. A few areas of internal veiling and fracture probably saved this from becoming many thousands of dollars in gems, and if you're thinking about cutting it, don't tell me because I won't sell it to you! Okay, I'll stop gushing. This is a very special, significant tourmaline.
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Tourmaline on Albite The deep, indicolite-blue cap is the highlight of this very nice little elbaite specimen. The tourmaline rests against a cluster of bright white cleavelandite, which is backed up by a larger crystal of albite feldspar. Very nice blue, followed by an unusual blue-green, make up the top 1/3 of the crystal, which is then followed by the more common dark green in the lower 2/3. Sharp little specimen!
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Tourmaline with Quartz This is a really nifty little elbaite specimen with a quartz hat. The piece was marked "indicolite" when I got it, and it is a nice blue-green, but I'd call it elbaite. The coolest thing about this one is the cluster of 2 tabular, doubly-terminated quartz crystals perched on the termination of the tourmaline. A really eye-catching toenail specimen.
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Tourmaline and Topaz with Mica A very odd, beautiful blue-green tourmaline that looks from the side like it's made up of a bunch of individual, terminated crystals. From the top, you can see that the whole thing has a termination that includes the entire group as one crystal. Fascinating. Down in front, beneath a cluster of feldspar, is a nice, clear, doubly-terminated topaz. A very nice, unusual combination piece.
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Tourmaline on Cleavelandite This specimen consists of 3 doubly terminated, tri-colored tourmaline crystals embedded in cleavelandite in a very aesthetic arrangement. The tourmalines are deep pink at the fancy ends with complex terminations, changing abruptly to green in the middle, and fading to a subtle lilac color at the other ends, which have flat terminations. The smallest tourmaline is completely backed into the feldspar, which hides the lilac end of the crystal.
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Topaz and Quartz One of the most aesthetic topaz specimens I've had. A textbook-terminated, deep sherry colored topaz riding on the back of a very nice, clear, flat, light smoky quartz crystal. All resting on a thin bed of feldspar. There is a small cracked area visible on the lower-front in the second photo, but the crystal is stable and not repaired. Superb.
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Topaz A big, beautiful cluster of 2 different colors of topaz from a classic Russian locality. There are 2 main crystals here, light blue in color and with perfect form. The rest of the crystals are of varying sizes and colors - some are blue, some are a light amber. All of the crystals are filled with areas of transparency, and clouds, and fractures. But the fancy topaz terminations are the real attractions here. A very desirable Russian light blue topaz at a very nice price.
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Aquamarine with Schorl A super-aesthetic, "Y" shaped arrangement of 2 doubly-terminated aquamarine crystals framing a hollow, terminated schorl crystal. The busy area of the aquamarines is also sprinkled with a number of small albites. A really nice aqua.
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Aquamarine with Albite and Quartz A very interesting, blue aqua crystal with a great complex termination in a jacket of snow-white albite. The aqua is almost clear at the terminated end, and a deeper, beautiful blue down the lower 3/4 of the crystal. On the back are two terminated, and one not-so-terminated smoky quartz crystals. A top-drawer miniature aqua. |
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Aquamarine on Muscovite A classic, light blue-green, hexagonal aqua crystal nestled in a bed of muscovite. This is a nice example of what used to be the ubiquitous Nagar aqua. Good specimens of aqua on muscovite have always been few, and far between, especially in this size and price range, while crappy ones have traditionally been everywhere. Things have changed. This was the only nice, but small specimen of this kind of material that I found in Tucson this year at a reasonable price. The main aqua grows out of a larger, similar crystal, and there are a couple more aquas scattered around. The muscovite isn't perfect, but it's quite nice where it counts, and the great aesthetics of this specimen make it a no-brainer.
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Aquamarine with Muscovite and Feldspar A wonderfully aesthetic cluster of 3 (well, really it's 2, but it looks like 5) main aqua crystals emerging from a base of albite and muscovite. Super clear, light blue-green aquas, and each one has a unique, complex termination.
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Aquamarine with Albite This is the second of 4 specimens from this pocked that I've had the pleasure to offer, 2 of which were on previous updates, and no more of which will probably be seen again. This specimen is a perfect, long, hexagonal aqua crystal wrapped on one side by a nice cluster of albite. Protrusing from one side is another perfect, very light blue-green crystal The crystals are both water-clear, grading to deeper blue toward the bottom. Close inspection of the terminations reveals that there are minor pyramidal modifications. the main crystal also has a very interesting ring of -something- about 1/4 of the way down from the termination that has disrupted a single layer of molecules inside the crystal, creating a tiny veil around the perimeter inside the crystal.
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Aquamarine with Muscovite & Albite The last of the wonderful, bi-colored aqua specimens from this pocket. This one is a killer aqua, clear in the top 1/3 and deeper blue toward the bottom. It's a perfect aqua pencil with a termination to die for, and just enough matrix material near the bottom to create extra interest. As Homer would say, "Mmmm... aquamarine."
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Aquamarine on Feldspar Okay, THIS is really the last of the killer aquas. This amazing specimen is one big, beautiful, very nice blue doubly-terminated aquamarine crystal with a flat termination on top and a number of smaller terminations growing through and around the albite at the bottom. There are also some muscovite books and schorl needles scattered around the albite matrix. The aqua is interesting in many ways, in addition to its beautiful form. The color is a very rich, translucent blue, and there are internal veils and structure running both parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis, giving the crystal a neat "striped" look. A very significant, BIG aqua.
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Fluorite and Aquamarine on Mica This one knocks my socks off. A big, pink, highly modified fluorite cuboctahedron sitting on a bed of tiny muscovite leaves, supported in front by a small cluster of flat-top, light blue-green aquamarines. Finding a combo specimen from Nagar with all of these minerals is rare, but not overly so. Finding a nice miniature with, say, a green fluorite and an aqua is more rare, but still happens. But a specimen with a big, all-pink fluorite, and a cluster of aquas, and with incredible aesthetics is awfully rare and a very happy occasion. Makes me wish I could keep all these darn rocks for myself!
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Tourmaline var. Indicolite with Feldspar A rare opportunity... and a difficult mineral to photograph. This specimen wanted to be a $15,000 piece, but fell just a little short. It's a killer, DEEP blue tourmaline crystal with a cluster of cleavelandite blades that are covered with some hard pocket stuff. The tourmaline has a couple of dings, and the back is heavily contacted, but it's still a very aesthetic, fatty tourmaline. And it's really BLUE! This is a great looking specimen, and a little TLC could make it even better. At any rate, it's a chance to own a sweet-looking Afghan indicolite for relatively little money. The specimen is MUCH better, and much bluer than the photos show.
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Tourmaline with Albite and Muscovite I don't pick up many schorl specimens, but this one is really special. Chemically, these may be elbaites. There are deep green-brown areas near the terminations on some of them. There are 3 major tourmalines, each with a rare triangular shape, and unusual modified terminations. That alone would be worth the price of admission for me, but this specimen adds a big, fat feldspar twin, a couple of embedded quartz crystals, and a big, shiny, thick muscovite book. This is only the second sharply-triangular tourmaline I've had, and the best one I've seen.
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Alpine Minerals | Minerals | Tucson 2002 |