Rosell Minerales

Near to a floater, this specimen shows tabular crystals of baryte in parallel growth, in book-shape, very brilliant, transparent and richly faceted. Between colorless to slightly gray due to inclusions. It comes from a locality that is rarely represented in collections (also in Spanish ones).

Size: 5.7 x 5.0 x 2.8 cm.
Main crystal: 37 x 32 mm.

Rich groups of radiated celestine crystals, from this Spanish classic locality. This mine is also known as Rica mine. Good size and aesthetic specimen.

Size: 6.6 x 6.4 x 5 cm.

Classic locality

A specimen of pyromorphite from this classic Spanish locality, in Córdoba. Several crystals with an intense green color, translucent and exceptional brilliance. Hexagonal crystals show barred shapes, truncated by the pinacoids. They are disposed upholstering the cavities of the matrix. A fine sample, acquired by Mr. Manchion to Joan Viñals, in 1991. Nowadays it is not easy to find samples from this mine. The pyromorphite from San Andrés Mine has been known from the first half of the XX century.

Size: 6.5 x 6 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 0.7 cm.

Col. Manchion #580, J. Viñals 1991.
Classic locality

Almandine crystal, rich in faces, with forms of the dodecahedron, and rounded edges. The back side is the contact with matrix or other crystals. A classic of Spanish mineralogy, nowadays very difficult to see.

Size: 5.3 x 5.2 x 3.3 cm.
Main crystal: 2.8 cm. arista/edge
Found in ±1975.

Col. A. Arguijo (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat).

Almandine crystal, faceted, with forms of the dodecahedron, and rounded edges. The back side is the contact with matrix or other crystals. A classic of Spanish mineralogy, nowadays very difficult to see.

Size: 5.5 x 5 x 3.8 cm.
Main crystal: 2.8 cm. arista/edge
Found in ±1975.

Col. A. Arguijo (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat).
Classic locality

Almandine crystal, faceted, with forms of the dodecahedron, and rounded edges. The back side is the contact with matrix or other crystals. A classic of Spanish mineralogy, nowadays very difficult to see.

Size: 5.8 x 5.5 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 3.4 cm. arista/edge
Found in ±1975.

Col. A. Arguijo (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat).
Classic locality

Montejícar is located midway between Granada and Jaén, in the northern limit of the province of Granada. This area is known among mineral collectors for the excellent quartz, smoked to morion, doubly terminated and with very poorly developed prism faces, which gives them a characteristic dipyramidal shape. These specimens are found in banded gypsum and marl from the Trias in a Keuper facies characteristic of the Cortijo Cañadas, in the N of the Montejícar municipal district. In the area there are some interesting ruins of plaster kilns.

Size: 5.6 x 3.7 x 2.8 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 9 mm.

Montejícar is located midway between Granada and Jaén, in the northern limit of the province of Granada. This area is known among mineral collectors for the excellent quartz, smoked to morion, doubly terminated and with very poorly developed prism faces, which gives them a characteristic dipyramidal shape. These specimens are found in banded gypsum and marl from the Trias in a Keuper facies characteristic of the Cortijo Cañadas, in the N of the Montejícar municipal district. In the area there are some interesting ruins of plaster kilns.

Size: 6.6 x 3.2 x 2.7 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 9 mm.

Montejícar is located midway between Granada and Jaén, in the northern limit of the province of Granada. This area is known among mineral collectors for the excellent quartz, smoked to morion, doubly terminated and with very poorly developed prism faces, which gives them a characteristic dipyramidal shape. These specimens are found in banded gypsum and marl from the Trias in a Keuper facies characteristic of the Cortijo Cañadas, in the N of the Montejícar municipal district. In the area there are some interesting ruins of plaster kilns.

Size: 6.3 x 4.4 x 1.5 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 9 mm.

Montejícar is located midway between Granada and Jaén, in the northern limit of the province of Granada. This area is known among mineral collectors for the excellent quartz, smoked to morion, doubly terminated and with very poorly developed prism faces, which gives them a characteristic dipyramidal shape. These specimens are found in banded gypsum and marl from the Trias in a Keuper facies characteristic of the Cortijo Cañadas, in the N of the Montejícar municipal district. In the area there are some interesting ruins of plaster kilns.

Size: 5.2 x 4.4 x 2.0 cm.
Main crystal: 11 x 9 mm.

Montejícar is located midway between Granada and Jaén, in the northern limit of the province of Granada. This area is known among mineral collectors for the excellent quartz, smoked to morion, doubly terminated and with very poorly developed prism faces, which gives them a characteristic dipyramidal shape. These specimens are found in banded gypsum and marl from the Trias in a Keuper facies characteristic of the Cortijo Cañadas, in the N of the Montejícar municipal district. In the area there are some interesting ruins of plaster kilns.

Size: 4.5 x 3.5 x 3.2 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 10 mm.

Radial aggregates of ferro-pargasite with an intense luster and very deep green colour. Accompanied in the granatite matrix with epidote crystals and orange calcite. The ferro-pargasite of this deposit is the dominant amphibole in the granatite fissures, although it was classified as hastingsite according to data provided by the exploiting company (according to Miguel Calvo in Minerales de España, vol. IX); for this reason surely the label that accompanies this sample classifies it as hastingsite.

Size: 10 x 8.5 x 2.5 cm.
Main crystal: 35 mm fibr.
Found in ±1988

Col. A. Arguijo (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat)

Fibrous aggregate of tremolite crystals, very brilliant and with an olive green colour. They are accompanied by prismatic crystals of darker green actinolite and orange calcite. Good size and representative for the locality and the species. The Manuel-Mercedes open pit is embedded in the granitic intrusions that were accompanied by contact metamorphism and gave rise to the formation of the skarn, with important deposits of magnetite.

Size: 8.5 x 7 x 5.2 cm.

Druse of very sharp baryte crystals showing developed and striated prismatic faces, truncated by pinacoids. The crystals are translucent, and color varies between colorless to yellowish. Excellent brilliance. Similar specimens were classified, many years ago, as hokutolite (a lead-rich baryte variety) but further analysis showed that there was only a minor lead content.

Size: 7.5 x 6 x 4.7 cm.
Main crystal: 6-7 mm.
Found in ±1975

Col. A. Arguijo (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat).
Analyzed specimen with report

Druse of very sharp baryte crystals showing developed and striated prismatic faces, truncated by pinacoids. The crystals are translucent, and color varies between colorless to yellowish. Excellent brilliance. Similar specimens were classified, many years ago, as hokutolite (a lead-rich baryte variety) but further analysis showed that there was only a minor lead content.

Size: 10.2 x 6.5 x 3 cm.
Main crystal: 7 mm.
Found in ±1975

Col. A. Arguijo (L'Hospitalet de L.)

Druse of small torbernite crystals forming rossetes of tabular crystals with a green color.

Size: 4.3 x 3.0 x 2.7 cm.
Main crystal: 1 x 1 mm.

A rich group of scalenohedral calcite crystals, very acute, translucent, of good size and from this classic Andalusian locality. Not very common in these mines. Under the ultraviolet (LW) light they present a very remarkable red-pink fluorescence.

Size: 6.6 x 4.2 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 25 x 12 mm.
Found in 1975.

Col. J.M. Manchion (Barcelona) - No.283 (Sabadell)
Fluorescent under long wave UV

The label of this specimen reads "Sevilla". In the catalog of the Manchion collection it is mentioned that this piece of schorl-dravite was acquired to Dr. Joan Viñals, at the Granollers fair in 1988. For that reason, in the absence of more info, we will leave this wonderful Andalusian region as its origin. M. Calvo talks about tourmalines in pegmatites from the Los Ángeles mine, near El Castillo de las Guardas, in Seville.

Size: 4.5 x 3.8 x 3.6 cm.
Found in ±1988.

Col. J.M. Manchion (Barcelona). No. 399. J. Viñals, 1988.

Gray djurleite well defined crystals (largest group 9 mm) interpenetrated, showing octahedral forms, with triangular faces. On a matrix of copper sulphides. As usual of these specimens, they may actually correspond to phases of djurleite-chalcocite. We can consider the specimens of Las Cruces mine among the best worldwide. From the former Povill collection.

Size: 8.8 x 6.8 x 4.3 cm.
Main crystal: 9 mm. 20 x 18 mm aggr.

Excol. J. Povill (Olesa de Montserrat, Barcelona)

In this specimen, we observed some sulfide aggregates very characteristic of Las Cruces mine. They were partially covered with calcite and under it appear groups of very brilliant chalcocite crystals. But the most interesting part of this specimen are the small, very brilliant crystals those cover sulphides. It is an unusual species: Luzonite. Luzonite is a rare copper sulfoarsenide. I have made the relevant analysis that yields consistent results: S 35.19%, Cu 41.82%, As 22.99% (%wt). You can find more information at espiadellabo.com.

Size: 8 x 6.5 x 4.7 cm.

Analyzed specimen with report

Scolecite and aerinite specimens from this small Aragonese town are known worldwide. This specimen shows groups of acicular prismatic crystals those form globular aggregates which, when extracted, they allow us to see the radiated growths perfectly. Snowy white color and good luster. Samples of this quality and size are rare and less nowadays. With Sr. Daunis handwritten label.

Size: 11 x 7.2 x 3.6 cm.
Found in 1980's.

Col. L. Daunis (Barcelona).
Fluorescent under long wave UV

Celestine specimens from Azaila are recognized in the mineralogical world for its beauty, intense color and richness of facets. In the area of Azaila-Lécera we can find good size nodules and nodular levels of silexites. Most of these nodules are compact, but at certain levels appear cavities with gypsum and quartz crystals (sometimes amethyst). In very few of these cavities we can find celestine crystals. Large crystals are usually imperfect. Today it is very difficult to get good specimens from this Aragonese locality.
In this specimen we can see a cavity within the flint matrix in which has developed a faceted celestine crystal. Honey to yellowish tone, very sharp, brilliant and with an exceptional transparency.

Size: 6.5 x 6.0 x 5.8 cm.
Main crystal: 9 x 5 mm.
Found in 2012.

Huge size gypsum twinned crystal from a classic Spanish locality. From the Manchion collection (Barcelona).

Size: 13.2 x 6 x 3 cm
Found in 1986.

Classic locality

From this locality you could find samples in the market, but with a group of interpenetrated crystals, rather few. A curiosity...

Size: 6 x 5.3 x 2 cm.

Rich group of dolomite rhombohedral crystals, very well defined faces and edges, with luster on the faces not covered by a thin patina of dolomite with a more brown tone. Presents some exfoliated crystal, when mined. A piece of good size and aesthetics from this classic Spanish locality.

Size: 9.5 x 8 x 7 cm.
Main crystal: 2.3 cm.

Col. Manchion (Barcelona).
Classic locality