Rosell Minerales

Old specimen of boleite showing a group of crystals, two of them predominant, with brightness and intense color. They are accompanied in matrix by malachite and atacamite. This sample was acquired by Joan Astor to Jordi Fabre in 1986. We keep the labels of the Astor collection and the former Jordi Fabre label. From the type locality.

Size: 5.4 x 4.8 x 3.8 cm.
Main crystal: 0.6 cm.
Found in ca. 1986.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).
Type Locality

Azurite crystal of intense color and brightness, disposed very aerially on a matrix with dolomite crystals and yellow-green concretions of beaverita-(Cu). This sample was acquired in 1989 by Joan Astor from Enrique Kucera, a well-known mineral dealer in Barcelona.

Size: 5.6 c 3.5 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 1.3 cm.
Found in ca. 1989.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).

Really fine specimen for this rare species. The balangeroite is a magnesium, iron anfd manganese silicate, only found in a few places worldwide. The serpentine Poggio San Vittore quarry, which were the best samples has been found and it is the type locality for the species, is abandoned since 1990. The mineral usually appears included in the serpentine matrix and only few fibers are aerial. In this specimen, fibers are totally aerial and with a good length.

Size: 4.2 x 4 x 3.4 cm.
Main crystal: 3.2 cm.
Found in ca. 1985.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).
Type Locality

Sphalerite gemmy quality crystals, transparent, shiny and some sprinkled with pyrite. A real gem of this Gipuzkoan mine, nowadays flooded.

Size: 4 x 3.2 x 1.4 cm.
Found in ca. 1991.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).

Erythrite tabular crystals, with intense purple colour and brilliance. About matrix.

Size: 3.8 x 2.8 x 1 cm.
Found in ca. 1987.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).

Radiating crystals of gedrite, almost black, included in a metamorphic rock matrix.

Size: 4.7 x 4.1 x 3 cm.
Main crystal: 1.2 cm.

Sample with native bismuth and yellowish bismutite. From a classic Spanish locality.

Size: 3.5 x 2.8 x 2.2 cm.
Found in ca. 1973

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).

Group of very elongated quartz crystals, with developed prisms and well-defined rhombohedral terminal faces. Very transparent. Some faces of the prism show growth oriented cavities.

Size: 6.9 x 4.6 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 6.9 x 1 cm.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).

On a rich group of rosettes of rhodochrosite, with a pinkish tone and a silky luster, there are various crystals of tetrahedrite, defined, brilliant and contrasting on the matrix.

Size: 6.7 x 5 x 3.2 cm.
Main crystal: 3 mm. Td
Found in ca. 1985.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).

Stalactitic limonite and goethite specimens from Benalmádena (Málaga) have a remarkable aesthetic due to their orange colors, with dark tones... This specimen shows very marked stalactitic growths. From the Astor collection (Barcelona).

Size: 7.7 x 5.4 x 3.7 cm.
Found in ca. 1983.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

This sample shows various aggregates of lanceolate tabular stilbite crystals, with luster and transparence. They are disposed on an upholstered matrix of small crystals of the same species and prismatic crystals, slightly greenish and transparent, of fluorapophyllite- (K).

Size: 9.5 x 7.3 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 2.2 cm.
Found in ca. 1986.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

A very rich group of sharp metatorbernite crystals showing tetragonal forms, an intense green color and good luster. It shows polysynthetic and echeloned growths. In some crystals we can observe a yellowish tones in the core which corresponds to metaautunite (fluorescent under UV light). A French mineralogy classic not seen since late 70's.

The walls of the fissures of this mine were covered by smoky quartz crystals. When samples are mined and pull out of the mine, a partially dehydratation occurs (from 12 to 8 H2O molecules) and torbernite become metatorbernite species. Margabal specimens can be classified as metatorbernite.

Size: 4 x 3.4 x 1.7 cm.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona), ex. J. Viñals.
Presents radioactive activity.

Group of very sharp metatorbernite crystals with an intense green grass color, showing the combination of the first and the second order dipyramids, truncated by pinacoidal faces. Its intense color gives a nice contrast with the white quartz matrix. Large open cast mines ans small prospects of kaolinite with some quartz veins in which torbernite crystals have been found. We could say that this locality is included in the most worldwide important torbernite localities due to the crystal quality, size and multiple habits.

Size: 5.9 x 4.5 x 2.2 cm.

Presents radioactive activity.

Group of very sharp metatorbernite crystals, one of them predominant, with an intense green grass color, showing the combination of the first and the second order dipyramids, truncated by pinacoidal faces. Its intense color gives a nice contrast with the white quartz matrix. Large open cast mines ans small prospects of kaolinite with some quartz veins in which torbernite crystals have been found. We could say that this locality is included in the most worldwide important torbernite localities due to the crystal quality, size and multiple habits.

Size: 6.7 x 3.9 x 2.3 cm.
Main crystal: 6 mm.

Presents radioactive activity.

Group of very sharp metatorbernite crystals, with an intense green grass color, showing the combination of the first and the second order dipyramids, truncated by pinacoidal faces. Its intense color gives a nice contrast with the white quartz matrix. Large open cast mines ans small prospects of kaolinite with some quartz veins in which torbernite crystals have been found. We could say that this locality is included in the most worldwide important torbernite localities due to the crystal quality, size and multiple habits.

Size: 5 x 3.5 x 2 cm.
Main crystal: 2 mm.

Presents radioactive activity.

Group of tarnowizite crystals, a variety of aragonite with a certain lead content, very characteristic of this Moroccan locality. Bright and with well-defined crystals on a galena matrix. An old piece belonging to the Astor collection (Barcelona).

Size: 5.8 x 3 x 2.7 cm.
Found in ca. 1996.

Col. J. Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

Gurimite is a very rare and chemically simple species. It is a barium vanadate, but in this sample we can observe the presence of P, very common on V minerals. This sample is from the type locality, the Gurim Anticline, in Israel. Aproved in 2013 and published in 2017. Specimen analyzed by Dr. M. Murashko. IMA2013-032. For extrem systematic collectors...

Size: 1.1 x 0.9 x 0.4 cm.

Ex. M. Murashko specimen.
Analyzed specimen with report

Makatite is a very rare sodium silicate. In this excellent specimen, it presents a good size aggregate formed by fine fibrous makatite needles, shiny and soft to the touch, on the matrix. It is accompanied by small but very transparent crystals of a pinkish to reddish villiaumite (NaF). Very representative for the species and the locality. Analyzed.

Size: 3.3 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm.
Main crystal: 1.3 cm aggreg.
Found in 1994.

Analyzed specimen with report

Analyzed crystal of lueshite, from the Type Locality. Lueshite is a rare sodium niobate. These samples came out only sporadically, and mostly 20-plus years ago. In this specimen it shows the presence of Ca and Ti, probably minor fersmite. Analysis will be sent to the buyer.

Size: 0.9 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm.

Type Locality

Tabular metazeunerite crystals, of a pale green color, forming aggregates in a cavity of the matrix. On one of these aggregates, an aggregate of pale yellow methanováčekite crystals is disposed. It belongs from this classic Moroccan mine. The uranium-rich zone (vein 2) of the quarry had been covered.

Size: 3.9 x 3.2 x 1.9 cm.
Found in ca. 2006.

Presents radioactive activity.

Aggregates of metatyuyamunite crystals, with an intense yellow to orange colour, accompanied by malachite radial agregates and yellow laminar carnotite.

Size: 7.3 x 3.3 x 3.3 cm.

Presents radioactive activity.

Deep red eleonorite crystal aggregates with some delvauxite on limonite. Classic sample from Rotläufchen mine near Waldgirmes, Hesse, type locality for the species. Closely related to beraunite and forms by oxidation of the latter.

Size: 2.6 x 2 x 1.7 cm.

Classic locality

These alluvial peble specimens of bahianite are a remarkable rarity due to the composition. It is the only known pure aluminum antimonate. Structurally related to simpsonite (Ta instead of Sb). It is normally found as rolled pellets in the Pico das Almas river, in Brazil. It comes from this type locality for the species.

Size: 8 x 6 x 5 mm.

Type Locality

From this classic German locality, Grube Clara, we get this specimen formed by aggregates of acicular crystals of sellaite, an unusual magnesium fluoride.

Size: 2.5 x 2.3 x 1.4 cm.

Classic locality

A really interesting good size and gemmy fluorapatite crystal. We can observe perfectly the combination of the first and second order prisms; very sharp terminal faces, with first order hexagonal dipyramid. A specimen to enjoy crystallography and aesthetics.
Crystal shows excellent brilliance, transparence and a vivid yellow color with green tones. The specimen is from a Moroccan classic mine located in the Imilchil mountains area.

Size: 2.6 x 1.3 x 1.2 cm.
Found in ca. 2012.

Classic locality