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.

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.

Druse of small quartz crystals, some doubly terminated, partially covered by white kaolinite. Peppered by several anatase crystals, with dipyramidal faces, truncated by basal pinacoid. Very sharp, translucent and with a toasted honey tone. Very aesthetic and rare in the market.
It is interesting to say that recent analysis of the reddish ashlars of the Torre Nueva (New Tower) of the Astorga cathedral indicated that these building materials were extracted from this Cantera del Moro during XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries.

Fan-shaped aggregates of excellent roweite crystals, beige orange colour, defined, good size and with quality for this species. Roweite is a rare calcium and manganese borate. They are accompanied by white hexagonal prismatic crystals of johnbaumite, up to 7 mm, excellent for the species. Johnbaumite is a very rare calcium arsenate, the arsenic analog of hydroxylapatite. In a matrix with green andradite and transparent colorless pentahydroborite. A very complete specimen, with very rare and well crystallized species.

Group of sharp isolated octahedral fluorite crystals, from translucent to transparent. They show an interesting slight apple green color. They are accompanied by small quartz crystals. On a granite matrix. This matrix is classic for modern specimens and comes from low levels of the Berta quarry.

Group of rhodochrosite crystals with a uniform pink color, with well-defined rhombohedron echeloned and scalenohedron forms. Good gemmy transparence. They are accompanied by other smaller rhodo crystals. On a solid matrix with quartz crystals with inclusions and manganese oxides.

A very aerial malachite aggregate, showing fibrous crystals, intense colour, with zoning, and good luster. On a matrix with dolomite small crystals. A very aesthetic specimen from this classic Moroccan mines.

Really good specimen from the high Swiss mountains of the Galenstock area, 3586 m., known for its smoky quartz. This good sized piece shows several of them, with excellent transparence, very uniform smoky tone, with defined faces and edges and partially covered with 'chlorite'. They are accompanied in the matrix with numerous crystals of adularia (variety of feldspar K), well defined. A piece for the display.

Aesthetic vanadinite specimen, really good for the locality. We can observe crowned prismatic crystals with color zonació and intense brightness. An interesting article on MR: Leon, M. and Liso, M.J. (1996): Vanadinite from the Gerty Mine Badajoz Spain. Mineralogical Record, 27(5), 381-384.

Radial aggregates of stibnite crystals, very brilliant and in the rocky matrix. We can see some flattened crystals. Of this old mine where today it is difficult to find pieces.

Sold

Specimen formed by small rounded crystals of smithsonite, with an intense pink color. These specimens stand out for the town and its intense color. The mine is now closed and in the process of restoration to make a part visitable.

A historical specimen of this classic mine. Various tabular baryte crystals peppered by small but brilliant and well-shaped cinnabar crystals. These specimens are very difficult to find today.

Sold

Druse of fluorite crystals, with cube shapes, translucent and of a green color. They are partially covered by small quartz crystals that show forms of corrosion. With intense fluorescence activity under LW-UV light. Very curious. From the Manchion Collection.

50 €

Buy

Rich aggregate of malachite crystals, brilliant, with an intense green color, which stand out on a matrix of blue-green chrysocolla. Very aesthetic

Excellent stalactitic coronadite specimen, analyzed by SEM-EDS, with rounded shapes, intense gray almost black. Good size. From this classic locality for Moroccan mineralogy. With yellowish goethite matrix. You can find more information about this species and locality in the Rosell Minerals blog.

Actinolite crystals are not usual with this size and definition. The specimen shows well-defined forms of the prism and monoclinic pinacoids, with the back side exfoliated. Intense green, almost black. A sample not usual for the species. It was determined that it is not an epidote, with which it could be confused, by Raman spectroscopy.

Sold

A classic old-time specimen of hydroxylherderite, well crystallized, with sharp translucent idiomorphic monoclinic crystals. Lustrous and with a greenish-yellow tone. Associated with albite and muscovite from the Golconda pegmatite in Brazil. From Manchion Collection, purchased to Dr. Joan Viñals. Previously misidentified as herderite.

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.

Sold

Excellent specimen of fluorapophyllite-(K) formed by several crystals, very aerial disposed and transparent, with an intense green color, and tetragonal forms of the prism and the dipyramid very visible, with parallel growths. They are disposed contrasting with a snowy white matrix of lanceolated crystals of heulandite-Ca. A gemmy specimen.

Aggregate of sphalerite crystals, with complex faces and intense color when the light passes through it. Back side is recrystalized. From this classic Spanish locality.

A nice specimen of delicate purple to violet creedite is from the early 1980's find in Santa Eulalia. Complete, brilliant, the specimen features gemmy crystals to almost 1 cm. Purple creedite specimens are unusual in the market.

A very nice specimen of this classic Basque mine. It shows a dolomitic matrix partially covered by brilliant sphalerite crystals, defined faces and slightly curved edges. Excellent transparence and toasted honey color. It is accompanied by some greenish siderite rhombohedral crystals and dolomite crystals. A complete and brilliant specimen from this mine. From the Manchion Collection.
Troya Mine was closed in 1993, only a few years before these specimens were collected in 1990. Nowadays the mine is collapsed and flooded. This specimen was in a former German mineral collection since then.

Sold

Group of fluorite crystals, cubic shape, brilliance, transparence and violet colour with geometric zoning. Some of them presents minor nicks, without affecting the whole. They are accompanied by barite crystals partially covered by tiny, shiny quartz crystals.

Druse of small quartz crystals, some doubly terminated, partially covered by white kaolinite. Peppered by several anatase crystals, with dipyramidal faces, truncated by basal pinacoid. Very sharp, translucent and with a toasted honey tone. Very aesthetic and rare in the market.
It is interesting to say that recent analysis of the reddish ashlars of the Torre Nueva (New Tower) of the Astorga cathedral indicated that these building materials were extracted from this Cantera del Moro during XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries.

Group of sharp calcite crystals, with rhombohedral flattened shape, translucent. From a unusual locality not well represented in collections.

Sold