Rosell Minerales

Numerous well-defined and interpenetrated sphalerite crystals are arranged on a matrix with quartz crystals, accompanied by pyrite crystals. In the upper part, a group of chalcopyrite crystals with some indentation, which allows us to see the color and brilliance.

Size: 6 x 4.4 x 4.3 cm.
Main crystal: 1.6 cm.
Found in ±1984.

Col. Manchion (Barcelona).

Group of quartz crystals in parallel growth and with a "scepter" structure. Very well defined faces and edges, brilliant and transparent to translucent. Very aerially disposed on the matrix. An good size and excellent specimen from a Moroccan locality not very known.

Size: 10 x 7.2 x 5.5 cm.
Main crystal: 5 x 4 cm.
Found in ±2019.

Group of complex sphalerite crystals with striated facets. Bright, translucent and with a toasted honey color. Exfoliated on the back.

 

Size: 5.5 x 4 x 2.9 cm.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).

Group of very elongated prismatic crystals, in parallel growth, very brilliant. The back side has a coating of quartz microcrystals. A piece from the Astor collection acquired in 1974 from Bailey Minerals (Ángel Jesús Talabán García, Segovia 1942-Madrid 2007).

Size: 6.5 x 3 x 2.2 cm.
Found in ±1974.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).

In a vug of the matrix there are numerous complete and brilliant dioptase crystals with the characteristic intense green color. They are accompanied by small yellow crystals of duftite, on calcite rhombohedra. A very aesthetic classic from this mine.

Size: 6.4 x 6 x 5 cm.
Main crystal: 3 mm.
Found in ±1980.

Exceptional and old specimen of cerussite from this classic Moroccan locality. It presents several divergent prismatic to tabular crystals of good size, twinned in a "V" shape. Translucent and with a smoky hue. Pure aesthetics, a very difficult specimen to get nowadays.

Size: 4.4 x 4 x 2 cm.
Main crystal: 4 x 2 cm.
Found in ±1980.

Classic locality

Quartz specimen with marked "window" growths with inclusions. These Allos pass crystals are not very common on the market. Allos pass is situated on the edge of Mercantour National Park approximately 20 km from the small village of Barcelonnette.

Size: 8.5 x 6.3 x 3 cm.

Group of octahedral pyrite crystals, very brilliant and well defined, which are accompanied by complex crystals of sphalerite. On them we observed numerous white globular crandallite aggregates (analyzed by XRD). This combination of minerals is unusual in the deposit, with this phosphate being the first citation.

Size: 5.5 x 5.3 x 2.7 cm.

Rich specimen showing wire aggregates of native silver, curved, with curls, shiny and with a very aesthetic golden tone. Some have darker areas of acanthite. They are accompanied by small but well-formed hexagonal pearceite-T2ac crystals. With calcite matriz. This piece is surprising when looking at the cavities under magnification. It berlongs from the Sarbaiskoe deposit, the best known silver producing area in Kazakhstan. Very rare to find specimens from this locality.

Size: 5 x 4.8 x 3.1 cm.
Found in ±1990.

A good size crystal of columbite-(Mn) that shows parallel growths on the faces, with striations, intense luster and black color. The accompanying handwritten label indicates that it belongs from the Etiro pegmatites, in Namíbia, a locality of which few specimens have been seen in the market. The piece belongss from H.G. Hoppert. Sample has been analyzed and the results, as can be seen in the attached documents, indicate it contains more Mn than Fe, a columbite, but with values of Nb-Ta in the border area with tantalite domain. All results will be sent to the buyer.

Size: 4.8 x 3.8 x 1.7 cm.
Found in ±1970.

Col. H.G. Hoppert.
Analyzed specimen with report

Floater crystal of columbite-(Fe), with a huge size for the species. We can observe numerous facets, some with striations, with brilliance. The specimen indicates "repaired" since a part (see photo) has been repositioned in its place, without affecting the quality. It is accompanied by minor lepidolite. Columbite specimens of this size are not common. We have analyzed the specimen and, in the attached diagram, we can see the results which indicate sample is in the columbite-(Fe) domain. Minor traces of Ti are present. We will send this results to the buyer. An exceptional piece.

Size: 8.6 x 6.2 x 3.5 cm.
Found in ±1970.

Col. F. Schweiger (Wien).
Analyzed specimen with report

Specimen of native silver from this more than classic Mexican locality such as Batopilas. This specimen shows numerous herringbone-patterned, arborescent and skeletal silver aggregates formed by crystals spinel-twin, very elegant and with luster and colour. They are disposed aerially on a matrix with calcite. Finding specimens of this quality and size (and price) from this mine is not easy at all. It belongs from a former Austrian collection.

Size: 4.6 x 4.4 x 3.1 cm.
Main crystal: 32 mm.
Found in ±1960.

Col. F. Schweiger (Wien).
Classic locality

Very thick and good size stibnite crystal from this classic Romanian mine. It presents an elongated prism, striated, with an excellent brightness. Very rich in facets in the upper terminal part, with complex bipyramidal faces. On the main crystal we observe a group of crystals of the same mineral, finer, that suppose a second crystallization. Nowadays it is difficult to find specimens of this quality from this mine. It comes from a former Austrian collection.

Size: 6.9 x 1.7 x 1.8 cm.
Found in ±1970.

Col. F. Schweiger (Wien).

More than an excellent specimen from Herja mine, a world-class Romanian locality for stibnite. This piece, of a very good size, is formed by several groups of thick prismatic crystals with visible terminal faces. We can observe a second generation of thin crystals. Nowadays it is difficult to find samples of this quality, for museum display cases. It belongs from a former Austrian collection.

Size: 13 x 5.7 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 11 x 0.6 cm.
Found in ±1980.

Col. F. Schweiger (Wien).
Classic locality

Excellent specimen from Herja mine, a world-class Romanian locality for stibnite. This piece is formed by numerous groups of divergent prismatic crystals, very brilliant and with visible terminal faces. Photographs do not do justice to the beauty of this specimen. Nowadays it is difficult to find samples of this fine quality. It belongs from a former Austrian collection.

Size: 9.8 x 5.6 x 3.7 cm.
Main crystal: 26 x 3 mm.
Found in ±1970.

Col. F. Schweiger (Wien).
Classic locality

Very rich group of sharp chalcocite crystals, some isolated and other interpenetrated, tabular and with very clear twinned pseudohexagonal forms. Intense metallic luster, gray color. They stand out on a matrix of bright calcite and small tennantite crystals. The specimens of this locality are very rare. Novelty in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2017. The Mantos Cobrizos mine is a type of "mantle" deposit. This is a small Cu deposit, located in the mining district of Los Cóndores, close to Paipote, Copiapó. So far the production has been made a small scale.

Size: 7.2 x 6.6 x 3.7 cm.

The schorl specimens from Cap de Creus are well known to Spanish mineral collectors. This specimen from the 70s of the last century shows us a striated prism and defined facets of the terminal faces, something unusual. This area of the NE of Catalonia is now a Natural Park and it is totally forbidden to extract specimens.

Size: 5.9 x 4.4 x 3.4 cm.
Main crystal: 1.5 x 1 cm.
Found in ±1970.

Col. Joan Astor (Barcelona).
Classic locality

Very brilliant specimen formed by various cerussite crystals, with a cyclic twin, well defined and translucent. They exhibit intense yellow fluorescence under LW-UV light. They are disposed on an upholstered matrix of small crystals of the same species and, to give an aesthetic touch, a group of orange baryte crystals.

Size: 5.8 x 5.8 x 4.2 cm.
Main crystal: 23 x 21 mm.
Found in 2018.

Col. A. Arguijo (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona).
Fluorescent under long wave UV

Esthetic specimen formed by groups of lepidolite mica, bright and defined, on which we observe see a brilliant topaz crystal, slightly bluish and faceted, with excellent transparency. Uncommon on matrix. With old handwritten label.

Size: 5 x 4.5 x 3 cm.
Main crystal: 10 mm. top.
Found in ±1990.

Col. H.G. Hopper.

Achtaragdite is a unique, rare and poorly understood pseudomorph, from this remote Siberian locality that is the Type Locality for grossular garnet. It is a variety of the grossular-hibschite garnet series and is (technically, according to mindat) a hydrogrossular-chlorite-carbonate pseudomorph after what was formerly considered to be wadalite or some other rare hydrogarnet. The real precursor mineral for these pseudomorphs is now considered to be helvite.

Size: 4.2 x 3.4 x 3.2 cm.

Achtaragdite is a unique, rare and poorly understood pseudomorph, from this remote Siberian locality that is the Type Locality for grossular garnet. It is a variety of the grossular-hibschite garnet series and is (technically, according to mindat) a hydrogrossular-chlorite-carbonate pseudomorph after what was formerly considered to be wadalite or some other rare hydrogarnet. The real precursor mineral for these pseudomorphs is now considered to be helvite.

Size: 4.7 x 4.5 x 3.9 cm.

Achtaragdite is a unique, rare and poorly understood pseudomorph, from this remote Siberian locality that is the Type Locality for grossular garnet. It is a variety of the grossular-hibschite garnet series and is (technically, according to mindat) a hydrogrossular-chlorite-carbonate pseudomorph after what was formerly considered to be wadalite or some other rare hydrogarnet. The real precursor mineral for these pseudomorphs is now considered to be helvite.

Size: 6 x 4.3 x 3.6 cm.
Main crystal: 3 x 2.2 cm.

Excellent specimen of galena, with very good luster. It shows forms of the cube and the octahedron, twinned. It has very aesthetic skeletal and ochy growths. The mine produced specimens of this quality a few years ago and now it is increasingly difficult to find them.

Size: 5 x 4.6 x 3.3 cm.
Found in ±2008.

These pyrite specimens from this Bulgarian mining area are very aesthetic, highlighting the complex forms and penetration twins they present. Good luster and color. They are accompanied by crystals of quartz on the matrix. It comes from a mining area known as the Septemvri mine, which includes the following deposits: Sharenka, Baram, Mogilata, Osikovo and Pechinsko.

Size: 4.2 x 3.8 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 1.6 cm.

These baryte crystals are very different from the usual ones that we can see coming from this Moroccan locality and even from other deposits famous for baryte. These are prisms of different orders, the predominant third order, truncated by the second order. We observe that a white geometric growth has formed and only affects certain faces of the rhombic prisms. This zoning is unusual for the species. The crystals are transparent and brilliant.

Size: 7.8 x 4 x 1.3 cm.
Found in 2021.