Rosell Minerales

Druse of fluorapophyllite-(K) crystals covering aggregates of kinoite crystals with an intense blue color. A sample from the past, belonging to the Joan Astor collection (Barcelona), with a handwritten label and typewritten box.

Size: 7.3 x 4.7 x 4 cm.
Found in ± 1976.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).

Green aggregates of lindgrenite, forming shiny crusts. Some corroded crystals are observed, associated with bright molybdenite. It belongs to the Joan Astor collection (Barcelona), with a handwritten label and typewritten box.

Size: 7 x 4.2 x 3.1 cm.
Found in ± 1976.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).

Rich group of hemimorphite crystals forming radial aggregates, with a slightly bluish hue. It is accompanied by black, zoned, tenorite globular aggregates. It belongs to the Joan Astor collection (Barcelona), with a handwritten label and typewritten box.

Size: 7.5 x 5 x 3.2 cm.
Found in ± 1977.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).

A very aesthetic miniature formed by various octahedral crystals of fluorite, with a violet to purple color, which contrast on the white quartz matrix. Defined, translucent and with brilliance. The Pine Canyon deposit in New Mexico has been known for more than 20 years and are prized for its fluorite crystals.

Size: 4.2 x 2.7 x 2 cm.
Main crystal: 1.2 cm.
Found in 1990's.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).

Brilliant black andradite crystals, var. melanite, on contrasting light matrix. Well defined faces and edges. Very aerial. From the former Joan Astor collection (Barcelona).

Size: 4.8 x 2.2 x 1.4 cm.
Found in ± 1976.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

Arborescent specimen of native copper, formed by numerous sharp crystals, with excellent luster and intense color. The piece is from the Joan Astor collection and dates from the early 70s.

Size: 5 x 3.8 x 1.4 cm.
Found in ± 1973.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

These specimens are very rare in this classic locality for the rutile. The matrix is formed by interpenetrating tabular kyanite crystals coated with iridescent shades of 'turgite', a term used for the mixture of goethite and hematite. What is remarkable is a group of rutile crystals, very bright and well defined. A piece with history.

Size: 5.6 x 4.6 x 3.9 cm.
Main crystal: 1 cm.
Found in ± 1977.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

The fossil woods of the US state of Washington have been well known since the 19th century. This specimen is a wood opal from this area and clearly shows the growth rings of the tree in question. If it is a fir tree or another member of the pine trees, it is already a subject on which we cannot pronounce ourselves.
As we can read in a brochure from the 80s (visit link): "Petrified wood is found throughout the state and is symbolic of our early forests. It represents a period of geological time when extensive volcanism buried great forests with volcanic ash and basaltic lava".

Size: 7.5 x 5 x 1.7 cm.
Found in ±1975.

Col. J. Astor, Barcelona.

Group of prismatic crystals of amazonite, a variety of microcline. With defined faces of prisms and pinacoids. It has this characteristic bluish-green color. Pikes Peak is the "mecca" of the amazonites, one of several mountains formed by the erosion of the Pikes Peak batholith, famous for its myarolytic cavities with smoky quartz, amazonite, topaz, among others. It belongs to the collection of Joan Astor, with a handwritten label and another typewritten.

Size: 5.4 x 4.8 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 3.6 cm.
Found in ±1976.

Col. J. Astor, Barcelona.

Rich group of linarite crystals, very bright, with well visible facets and a spectacular color. They upholster a cavity in the quartz matrix. From this classic locality for the species.

Size: 6 x 4.3 x 3.5 cm.
Found in 1992

Classic locality

Very good size crystal of benitoite, a rare barium and titanium silicate, rich in faces, highlighting those of the trigonal dypraramid, together with those of the hexagonal dypyramid and the pinacoidal faces. Intense color and translucent. It has a small dent in one edge, common in these specimens without affecting the aesthetics of the specimen. On matrix.

Size: 5 x 4.1 x 3.6 cm.
Main crystal: 1.6 cm.
Found in ca. 2003.

Col. Marí-García (Castelló) #0.520
Type Locality

A rare specimen collected in an urban setting. Colorless to white radial aggregates of acicular artinite crystals on a serpentine matrix. Aesthetic, good size, excellent quality, very rich, from the classic Staten Island locality. Artinite is a rare hydrated magnesium carbonate. This piece comes from the J. Astor collection, acquired in 1980 from Bailey Minerals (Ángel Jesús Talabán García, Segovia 1942-Madrid 2007). With old labels. An USA classic nowadays not easy to find.

Size: 6.6 x 3.6 x 3.4 cm.
Main crystal: 1.5 cm. aggr.
Found in ca. 1980.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

Calcite gemmy crystal from this classic North American locality, very transparent, bright and with a delicate yellow color. It is disposed very aerially on a matrix with galena, sphalerite, dolomite and pyrite. It is also crystallographically very interesting because of the shapes of the elongated rhombohedron, with the faces of the scalenohedron. Acquired by J. Astor from J. Montal in the mid-1970s, with labels.

Size: 3.8 x 3.5 x 2.4 cm.
Main crystal: 2.1 cm.
Found in ca. 1976.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).
Fluorescent under long wave UV

A really good sized specimen in which we highlight various orange willemite crystals, the main one is doubly terminated. They are included in rhodochrosite and on a matrix with franklinite crystals. This specimen is from the Renaud Vochten collection. The intense fluorescence of willemite stands out with a yellowish-green emission under short-wave ultraviolet light. Renaud F.C. Vochten (8 December 1933 - 29 July 2012), professor of mineralogy at the State University of Antwerpen (Belgium), with a species dedicated: vochtenite [link].

Size: 11.1 x 7.5 x 6.7 cm.
Main crystal: 1.8 cm.
Found in ca. 1989.

Col. Renaud F.C. Vochten (Bélgica).
Fluorescent under short wave UV

This specimen is one of the well-known calcite after glauberite pseudomorphs from Arizona. This aesthetic floating specimen shows interpenetrated crystals, very well defined faces and edges and a delicate cream tone. A classic by itself.

Size: 3.9 x 2.4 x 2.1 cm.

This specimen is one of the well-known calcite after glauberite pseudomorphs from Arizona. This aesthetic floating specimen shows interpenetrated crystals, very well defined faces and edges and a delicate cream tone. A classic by itself.

Size: 4 x 3.9 x 2.7 cm.

This specimen is one of the well-known calcite after glauberite pseudomorphs from Arizona. This aesthetic floating specimen shows interpenetrated crystals, very well defined faces and edges and a delicate cream tone. Good size. A classic by itself.

Size: 5.7 c 2.6 x 2.2 cm.

This specimen is one of the well-known calcite after glauberite pseudomorphs from Arizona. This aesthetic floating specimen shows interpenetrated crystals, very well defined faces and edges and a delicate cream tone. Good size. A classic by itself.

Size: 5.2 x 2.9 x 2.9 cm.

Classic locality

An extremely glassy opal specimen, transparent to translucent, with bluish to golden tones. An excellent specimen of opal from this classic American locality. It shows some fluorescence under ultraviolet (LW) light. An old piece from the A. Trigo collection (Mataró).

Size: 4.7 x 4.1 x 1.6 cm.
Found in ca. 1991.

Col. Antonio Trigo (Mataró).
Fluorescent under long wave UV

Good sized fluorite crystal from this classic North American mine. It shows the cube shape with staggered growths on one edge, along with polysynthetic growths on the faces. Translucent to transparent, bright and with a violet tone that shows geometric color zoning, more intense on the edges. With a minor "matrix" of sphalerite.

Size: 5 x 4.1 x 2.6 cm.
Main crystal: 4 cm edge/arista
Found in ca. 1988.

Col. Antonio Trigo (Mataró).
Fluorescent under long wave UV

Laminar rosette-shaped covellite crystals, excellent luster and with an intense violet to purple color, with an aesthetic iridescence. They are disposed on a matrix with pyrite and quartz. The covellite crystal specimens from Butte are highly appreciated by collectors and possibly the best in the world for the species, with only a few exceptions like Sardinia ones, but even those are not as sharp. The quality of this piece is simply excellent. Nowadays, specimens with this fine crystals are rarely seen.

Size: 9.2 x 8.5 x 4 cm.
Main crystal: 2.2 cm.
Found in ca. 1941.

Classic locality

On a sandstone matrix some yellow crusts of coconinoite formed by small tabular to micaceous crystals. This sample has been analyzed by SEM-EDS and we will send the results to the buyer.

Size: 8.2 x 7.4 x 4.2 cm.

Presents radioactive activity.

Excellent specimen of rhodochrosite from this classic American locality from where not many specimens are available, unless they appear in former collections. This piece entered the Joan Astor collection in 1976 and was acquired from Joan Montal, a well-known old dealer from Vilafranca del Penedés (Barcelona). Several rhombohedral rhodo crystals, very well defined, with a very aesthetic pink color. With a globular aggregate of a second generation of rhodo. It stands out on the matrix of quartz crystals. A unique piece.

Size: 5 x 4 x 3 cm.
Found in 1970's.

Col. Joan Astor.

Excellent, sculptural, two-sided baryte "rose" from Oklahoma. Oxidized sand grains are included in the baryte crystal structure with colorful effect. Essentially a floater. The hole adds much aesthetics. Baryte was precipitated in interconnected voids in the rock, probably from barium-rich marine waters that covered the Permian Garber Sandstone during or shortly after its deposition about 250 million years ago. The rose-like concretions incorporated the iron-stained quartz sand grains and thus acquired the red color of the host Garber Sandstone (online). These are the official Oklahoma State Rock.
Very interesting article in Mineralogical Record July-August 2008.

Size: 6.2 x 4.6 x 4.2 cm.

Col. Arguijo (Barcelona).
Classic locality

Excellent, sculptural, two-sided baryte "rose" from Oklahoma. Oxidized sand grains are included in the baryte crystal structure with colorful effect. Essentially a floater. The hole adds much aesthetics. Baryte was precipitated in interconnected voids in the rock, probably from barium-rich marine waters that covered the Permian Garber Sandstone during or shortly after its deposition about 250 million years ago. The rose-like concretions incorporated the iron-stained quartz sand grains and thus acquired the red color of the host Garber Sandstone (online). These are the official Oklahoma State Rock.
Very interesting article in Mineralogical Record July-August 2008.

Size: 5.8 x 5.5 x 3.2 cm.

Col. Arguijo (Barcelona).