Rosell Minerales

Fine specimen that shows aggregates of tabular crystals of baryte, with a slight yellowish tone, transparent to translucent, brilliant and with defined faces and edges. Accompanied by several marcasite crystals showing various twins, such as "cockscomb", as aggregates or very aesthetic individual crystals. On a quartz matrix.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 7.8 x 6.5 x 3.5 cm.
Found in 2013.

Bright specimen that consists of parallel aggregates of tabular baryte crystals on which we can observe various groups of marcasite crystals, many isolated, twinned, flattened and with good brightness. Very representative for the species and with an interesting mineral balance.

Size: 5.8 x 5.5 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 15 x 10 mm. marc.
Found in 2013.

Group of cubic galena crystals with an exceptional size for the locality, brilliant and very sharp. They are disposed on an matrix partially covered of small quartz crystals. We can observe pyrite and marcasite on the matrix.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 5.5 x 5.2 x 3.2 cm.
Main crystal: 8 x 8 mm.
Found in 2013.

Druse formed by a group of quartz var. amethyst-smoky crystals, showing defined faces and edges, from translucent to transparent. One has a small notch in its upper face. They are disposed on a matrix of feldspar, probably orthoclase, with prismatic crystals of green epidote and fibrous actinolite.

Size: 6.5 x 6.0 x 5.5 cm.

Rich group of galena cube-octahedral crystals, some of them complex, defined faces and edges, and with a better quality than usual for the locality. They are disposed on a matrix covered by small and brilliant quartz crystals. Accompanied by several aggregates of golden twinned marcasite sharp crystals, brilliant, with aggregates pyrite. Very fine specimen.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 13.5 x 8.5 x 6.0 cm.
Main crystal: 7 x 6 mm. galena
Found in 2013.

Group of aesthetic cube-octahedral galena crystals, defined faces and edges, and with a better quality than usual for the locality. They are disposed on a matrix covered by brilliant quartz crystals. Accompanied by aggregates of honey color sphalerite complex crystals. With pyrite and flattened twinned marcasite. A huge size displayable specimen.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 13.0 x 11.5 x 5.8 cm.
Main crystal: 12 x 11 mm.
Found in 2013.

Good size parallel growth of tabular crystals of barite, very sharp and with very well defined faces and edges. They show a pale blue to grey color, translucent and very bright and have flattened crystals of marcasite showing the twin known as "cockscomb". On a quartz crystal matrix with cubic pyrite and minor chalcopyrite.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 8.4 x 5.7 x 4.0 cm.
Main crystal: 20 x 18 mm.
Found in 2013.

Druse of quartz crystals var. amethyst, well defined faces and short prism. Transparent to translucent with inclusions of acicular prismatic crystals, probably epidote.

Size: 6.5 x 5.3 x 2.7 cm.

Very brilliant specimen formed by numerous polysynthetic growths of octahedral pyrite crystals. The golden color is superior and brilliance, as we said before, is really excellent. With white milky quartz. A fine piece from a not well represented locality.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 8.0 x 5.3 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 8 x 8 mm.
Found in 2013.

Good size parallel growth of tabular crystals of barite, very sharp and with very well defined faces and edges. They are translucent and accompanied by very bright and small marcasite.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 7.9 x 5.5 x 4.3 cm.
Found in 2013.

Group of aesthetic cube-octahedral galena crystals, defined faces and edges, and with a better quality than usual for the locality. They are disposed on a matrix covered by brilliant quartz crystals. Accompanied by aggregates of honey color sphalerite complex crystals. With pyrite and flattened twinned marcasite.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 7.4 x 5.0 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 8 x 8 mm.
Found in 2013.

Fine quality specimen that shows aggregates of tabular crystals of baryte, with a slight bluish tone, brilliant and with defined faces and edges. Accompanied by several marcasite crystals showing various twins, such as "cockscomb", as aggregates or very aesthetic individual crystals. On a quartz crystal matrix.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 6.8 x 5.4 x 5.3 cm.
Main crystal: 12 x 10 mm.
Found in 2013.

Huge size parallel growth of tabular crystals of barite, very sharp and with very well defined faces and edges. They are translucent and very bright and have flattened crystals of marcasite showing the twin known as "cockscomb".
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 10.7 x 7.3 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 34 x 27 mm.
Found in 2011.

Very brilliant specimen formed by numerous polysynthetic growths of octahedral pyrite crystals. The golden color is superior and brilliance, as we said before, is really excellent. A fine piece from a not well represented locality.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 7.5 x 6.4 x 4.7 cm.
Main crystal: 12 x 10 mm.
Found in 2013.

Aesthetic group of well-developed baryte crystals from this Murcian locality. They are disposed forming a "open-book" shape with parallel growth. They stand out as being covered with small, bright and transparent crystals of calcite, some chalcedony, peppered by small crystals of goethitized pyrite and manganese oxydes. A piece of an unusual locality not easy to find in the mineral market.

Size: 8.7 x 5.8 x 4.4 cm.
Main crystal: 35 x 25 mm.
Found in 2011.

Specimens of this mine are unusual in the market. This sample, from an former collection, is one of those pieces that make us appreciate the minerals of the La Gaviota mine. On a matrix of goethite, partially covered with tiny crystals of pyrolusite, are disposed very aerial a rich group of tabular barite crystals. Between translucent to transparent. An opportunity to represent perfectly this mine in our collection.

Size: 12.5 x 8.6 x 5.2 cm.
Main crystal: 25 x 20 mm.
Found in 1990's.

These old specimens of pyrite belong to one of those curiosities that Nature offers us. In these pieces we can see crystals those are showing no apparent cubic symmetry. They have, more or less marked, parallelepiped forms unusually flattened. The edges are completely natural and the crystal has been consolidated on its matrix to avoid its possible detachment.
This kind of crystals put into question certain aspects of the cubic symmetry of pyrite. For more information on this topic you can read articles like King & Prewitt 1979 (Amer. Min., 64, 1265-1271).

Size: 11.0 x 4.7 x 4.0 cm.
Main crystal: 22 x 19 x 17 mm.
Found in 1990's.

Galena specimens from this Kosovar mine are not very common. In this sample we can enjoy a brilliant group of galena crystals of good size, well defined, with faces of the cube and the octahedron. Very aesthetically disposed on a matrix with quartz crystals, lenticular siderite and pyrite.

Size: 7.8 x 7.4 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 20 x 18 mm.

Brilliant specimen showing a very well defined crystals of arsenopyrite covering the matrix, some of them with good size. They are accompanied by brilliant quartz crystals, pinkish calcite due to the content of Mn and small groups of boulangerite needles. A very luminous specimen.

Size: 8.3 x 6.8 x 5.2 cm.

A novelty in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2015. A rich group of well defined azurite crystals, good brilliance and with transparence. The blue color is very intense. With malachite fan-shaped aggregates. They are disposed in a vug into the gossan-cuprite matrix. Showy specimen from a copper and gold mine located in Laos, not well-known and less represented in collections. Few specimens from this mine had been previously seen in the market but with lower quality.

Size: 8.0 x 7.0 x 4.8 cm.
Main crystal: 8 x 5 mm.
Found in 2015.

Group of very sharp hematite crystals, one of them of greater size and rich in faces. We can observe the positive and negative rhombohedrons truncated by the pinacoid and perfectly visible the hexagonal dipyramid well developed. Metallic luster is excellent and it has an intense black color. A very interesting speciemen of this South African mine.
It comes from the specimens of Luis "Louie" Bravi Antonio Teixeira Leite (1942-1999), a Portuguese mineral dealer who lived many years in South Africa.

Size: 2.8 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm.

Ex-coll. M. Ecker - Louie Leite

Cronstedtite is a rare iron silicate of the kaolinite-serpentine group. This is a good representative of the cronstedtite specimens from this classic Spanish mine. It shows a lustrous, black, trigonal crystals forming groups on the matrix. It is a rare oportunity to get good specimens of this species.

Size: 5.0 x 3.8 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 8 x 4 mm (aggr).

Group of grossular, hessonite variety. Good orange to brown color, translucent and defined faces and edges.

Size: 6.3 x 6.0 x 5.0 cm.
Main crystal: 12 x 10 mm.

Group of grossular, hessonite variety, one of them bigger. Good orange to brown color, translucent and curved faces and edges.

Size: 6.0 x 5.8 x 4.7 cm.

Specimen formed by a large group of pyrrhotite crystals, showing a marked hexagonal shape, with excellent brilliance and bronze metallic tone. In the fissures has recrystallized dolomite as small white curved rhombohedral crystals.

Size: 7.5 x 5.5 x 5.3 cm.