We’ll start with new lots of previously featured minerals:

DANBURITE, OUR FEBRUARY 1999 FEATURED MINERAL Our main Mexican connection came up with a few high quality crystals for us, from the Charcas District, San Luis Potosi, where much of the world’s best danburite crystals are found. We have small crystals up to about 2" by ½" with a nice pink tinge, sharp faces, and good terminations for $8; and just a few larger crystals up to about 3" by 1½" for $15. We have just a few of the larger size, but get more on a fairly regular basis, so if you miss it now, you can order again later. Of course, if you want to go a little (or a lot) crazy, we have one of the largest danburite specimens ever found, a museum-quality piece over 1' high and 4" wide for $1000. (We don’t normally deal in minerals in this price range, but we are danburite lovers, and could not resist.)

ANHYDRITE, OUR JUNE 1998 FEATURED MINERAL We have just a few of these, from Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico, as fan-shaped aggregates of almost-parallel light blue crystals up to 4" by 1½" for $20, and a couple slightly smaller for $16. We also plan to get more of these in the future.

MOLDAVITE, OUR DECEMBER 2001 FEATURED STONE Moldavite is not technically a mineral, as it does not have a regular, repeating atomic structure, and is more accurately classified as natural glass, formed by the impact of a meteor. We have a few translucent green pieces to about 1" by ½" for $26. (Moldavite is expensive, due to high demand.) This write-up was particularly interesting, as it details how the moldavites are believed to be formed by the meteorite that caused the Ries Crater in southern Germany.

GOLD ON QUARTZ, OUR DECEMBER 2000 FEATURED MINERAL We have gold on white quartz specimens from the gold country of California. These are a lot bigger than what we sent to Club members, and are priced from $60 to $80, depending on how much gold they have. Each has a nice vein of gold on matrix up to 1" by 1½". Call for details if you’re thinking about one.

MAGNETITE, OUR APRIL 2003 FEATURED MINERAL We received a nice new lot from Bolivia with pieces the same size as we sent to Deluxe Club members, well-formed, shiny metallic gray octahedrons up to d" at their base nicely contrasted on an off-white matrix up to 3½" by 2" for $22.50. Also, some similarly sized matrix pieces with bigger crystals, up to ½" for $30 and a couple even better ones on larger matrix for $36.

STAUROLITE FROM RUSSIA, OUR MAY 2000 FEATURED MINERAL Also, we received a nice new batch of the X-shaped staurolite twins frozen in mica schist matrix from the Kola Peninsula, Russia. We have matrix specimens up to about 2½" by 2" for $18, and larger specimens up to about 4" by 3" for $25, and one large cross-shaped twin on matrix for $120.

TRANSLUCENT FLUORAPATITE CRYSTALS FROM SLYUDYANKA, OUR MAY 2002 FEATURED MINERAL One of our Russian connections supplied us with some near-gemmy, highly translucent, blue-green fluorapatite crystals from Slyudyanka, as a complement to last month’s crystals. We have small crystals between about 1" by ½" and 1¼" by ¾" for $6 and bigger crystals up to about 2" by 1" for $12. (The $14 specimens we offered last month are gone.) All have sharp edges and the rather melted-appearing terminations typical of fluorapatite from this locality. We also have dark green, opaque fluorapatite crystals from Quebec, Canada with the melted-like faces, up to 4" by 2" for $22 and 2" by 1½" for $10.

EUDIALYTE FROM QUEBEC, CANADA, OUR APRIL 2002 FEATURED MINERAL We have medium size pieces about 2" by 2" for $12, with red eudialyte mixed in with other rock-forming minerals like richterite and oligoclase feldspar. We also have a few large chunks up to about 4" by 4" for $30 and more–call for details!

SPINEL, OUR SEPTEMBER 2000 FEATURED MINERAL We still have a few nice spinel crystals left from when we featured it in September 2000, as small sharp gemmy red octahedral crystals on a white marble matrix– a nice contrast. We have pieces of white matrix up to 2" by 2" with very small crystals about 1mm across for $3 (you can see the crystals nicely if you have your 10x loupe.) And we have sharp ocatehedrons about 1/8" across on matrix up to about 2" by 2" for $16.

REVERSE SCEPTERS FROM THE LILIANA MINE We thought that some members might like to have samples of these, where the secondary crystal growth is quite a bit smaller than the original crystal growth, but we were only able to get them in small crystals and clusters. We have small groups, usually with one thin prominent crystal up to about 1" long with a reverse scepter, for $6; and clusters of small crystals about ½" long on 1" matrix with some scepters for $7, or will send one of each for $12. We also have a couple of larger crystal groups, up to 3" by across, for $50 (these are pricey because the find is new, unusual, and in demand.)

DRUSY QUARTZ ON BLUE CHALCEDONY FROM TURKEY, AN UNLIKELY BUT POSSIBLE FUTURE MINERAL OF THE MONTH Chances are slim that we will ever be able to get enough pieces to feature this beautiful material, because almost all of it goes to the gemstone/carving market for use in high end jewelry and carvings. This is beautiful stuff, minute drusy quartz crystals on a thin layer of translucent, blue chalcedony with a slight violet tinge to it. We have Junior-size specimens about 1" by 1" for $7; medium size pieces up to about 2½" by 1½" for $14, and larger pieces up to about 3" by 2" for $18.

"CACTUS QUARTZ," "SPIRIT QUARTZ," "MAGELISBURG QUARTZ" More of this exciting new find from Magelisburg Mountain, N.E. Pretoria, South Africa. In Tucson, it was being called "Cactus Quartz" and "Spirit Quartz." We have clusters of quartz crystals up to 2" by 2" most of which are amethyst with some citrine, covered with drusy quartz that is growing out off the larger crystals, a striking combination for $20.

TANGERINE QUARTZ FROM BRAZIL We started seeing this new find last year, and every batch we received flew out before we could offer it to you. These are quartz crystal groups, evidently with hematite growths in the outer faces, that impart a tangerine-color to the crystals that is quite pretty. We heard that when some eager gem cutters began faceting this material, the tangerine color was only on the outside of the crystals, and that they were clear inside! We have small clusters up to 1½" by 1½" for $4, medium clusters up to 2" by 2" for $6, larger clusters up to 2½" by 2½" for $12, with a few extra quality clusters for $20 and a few single crystals up to 3" by 1¼" for $12 and $16, depending on translucence.

PYRITE SUNS FROM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS These are found between layers of coal where the crystals are naturally forced to grow outward rather than upward, really amazing if you haven’t seen them yet. We have flat, highly lustrous suns that are about 3" in diameter and almost round for $10; pieces roughly the same size but not so round for $7; or one of each for $15; and larger pieces about 4" in diameter for $14 and not-so-round for $10.

FINE SPECIMENS FROM DALNEGORSK, RUSSIA The Mineralogical Record dedicated an entire issue to the wonderful minerals coming from this area in far eastern Russia. We have the following available: clusters of clear datolite crystals mostly covered with a sugary-looking crystal coat, pieces up to about 2" by 1¼" for $14, and a few larger pieces up to about 3" by 3" for $28. Also, pyrrhotite crystals on small needle-like quartz crystals, for $40; clear fluorite with sharp crystal forms up to about 3" by 2" for $32, with larger, clearer pieces for $56; and one outstanding clear calcite crystal about 3½" by 1" for $25 and one exceptional calcite scalenohedral cluster for $50.

Iridescent AMMONITES FROM MADAGASCAR These are similar to the ammonites we featured last year, except that they are a little larger, are not cut in half, and part of each fossilized shell give off an iridescent red color, rather like an opal or like the gemstone ammolite that comes from Canada. We have wonderful specimens up to about 3" by 2¼" for $40, all with some slight imperfections in the shell, and more complete specimens for $54.

INSTANT THUMBNAIL COLLECTION This is a collection of specimens we have been accumulating over the last couple of years. There are 28 specimens, with 25 mounted in 1" by 1" plastic boxes, from North America and the rest of the world, with common and rare minerals, including ferrocolumbite, linarite, adamite, cuprite, olivenite, silver, bismuthinite, fayalite, smithsonite, and many others, all for $79.

MINA OJUELA MINERALS We received a small lot of adamite, our May 1998 featured mineral, from this classic locality in Mexico. These are specimens of small yellowish-green crystals on an earthy brown gossan matrix. The most interesting feature is that the adamite fluoresces bright green under shortwave UV light. We have matrix pieces from about 2" by 1" for $6 up to 2" by 2" for $8 and larger pieces up to 3" by 2" for $14. Also, a few cuprianadamite, which doesn’t fluoresce, up to 1½ by 1½" for $8. Also, aurichalcite as a coating of light blue crystals on the same matrix, up to 2" by 1" for $4; conichalcite, our September 2002 featured mineral, Junior-size specimens for $6 and Deluxe-size specimens up to 3" by 3" for $16; and sprays of clear hemimorphite on matrix up to about 2" by 1" for $5 and up to 3" by 2" for $10. All these are on the same reddish brown to brown gossan matrix.

SMALL SPECIMENS AVAILABLE Brown chunks of lava from La Reunion Island, up to 2" by 1½" for $4; grossular garnets from Lake Jaco, Mexico, about 1" with well-formed faces for $6, and the same size with not so well-defined faces for $3; Himalayan quartz crystals up to 1½" by ¾" from the Ganesh Range, Nepal for $6; Coprolite (fossilized animal feces) from Oregon up to 2" by 1½" for $4; very pretty fibrous malachite from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our February 2002 mineral, in small pieces up to about 2" by 2" for $8; fossil shark’s teeth of Otodus Obliquus from Morocco, small teeth about 1" by 1" for $4, medium size about 2" by 2" for $12, these also fluoresce; cleaved pieces of clear halite from northern Michigan, showing the excellent cleavage of isometric crystals, medium pieces up to about 2" by 1½" for $3 and larger pieces up to 3" by 2" for $5; magnetic LODESTONE as chunk-size pieces from about 2" by 1½" to 2" by 2" for $3.50 or 2 for $6, or if you need a quantity for friends, relatives, or students, we have flats with 35 pieces for $70; GRAPHITE specimens, from a classic locality, the Plumbago Mine, Seathwaite, Lake District, England. We have small chunks of pure graphite up to 1½" by 2" for $7; a few medium-size pieces up to 2½" by 2½" for $12; NATIVE ANTIMONY as small pieces mounted in 1" by 1" plastic thumbnail cases for $5, small pieces up to about 1¾" by 1½" for $8; ANTHRACITE COAL as dirty chunks of carbon, medium to about 2" by 2" for $4 and larger chunks to 3" by 4" are $6.

PLEASE NOTE that the offer sheet is the last thing we write before getting everything photocopied, so it is the most likely to have typos– if we make a mistake in a description or a price, we’ll let you know before we send you anything. As always, U.S. shipping is included, your satisfaction is guaranteed, and anything ordered will be shipped with your next monthly mineral specimen, and we’ll send the corresponding write-up on minerals we’ve featured so you can read up on it. E-mail  or call us at 1-800-941-5594 to order.