Welcome to the 2001 Sainte-Marie aux Mines Show!
 
 

 

Minerals from
Pakistan & Afghanistan

It doesn't seem to matter what show I go to these days - Tucson, Munich, Denver, wherever!  There are always some very high quality minerals from Pakistan and Afghanistan coming to light.  It seems that the diversity is also continuing to expand (Note the new find of the rare mineral Chevkinite-Ce from Pakistan).  Anyway, I have found a couple dozen or so specimens there that were too good to leave behind so I brought them across the Atlantic and North American continent to little ol' Weaverville here in northern California.

FPA-07  $300.00 
Scapolite
2.5 x 0.7 x 0.5 cm
Kuchital
Tajikistan
 

Fully terminated, gem quality crystal of violet colored scapolite.  This is the rarest color for this species.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

Very rarely seen doubly terminated crystal of pargasite.  This crystal is 0.9 cm in length. This species has to be one of the more attractive members of the amphibole group which includes such as augite, tremolite and diopside.

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1.6 cm partial crystal of pargasite on calcite matrix.

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1.6 cm partial crystal of pargasite on calcite matrix.

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Very attractive specimen consisting of a 2.6 cm doubly terminated crystal of herderite, a 1.3 cm topaz crystal and a couple of terminated blue cap tourmalines that reach to 2.1 cm in length.  The only problem with this specimen is deciding which angle to display it at.  There is no such thing as a "back side" with this specimen!

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

This and the next crystal are andradites with a very high chorme content according to Francois Lietard.   He had a number of these specimens avilable but only this and the next one were complete enough for me to consider taking them home.   The rest were only partial crystals.  These are found in a micaceous schist and hence can have a somewhat rounded appearance.  This crystal is as close to a perfect dodecahedron as there was from his group of specimens.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

This and the above crystal are andradites with a very high chorme content according to Francois Lietard.   He had a number of these specimens avilable but only this and the next one were complete enough for me to consider taking them home.   The rest were only partial crystals.  These are found in a micaceous schist and hence can have a somewhat rounded appearance.  This crystal has a somewhat composite form with stacked dodecahedral faces on one side.  It is transluscent and a very deep green.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

3.2 cm doubly terminated crystal of rich green beryl variety emerald.  This crystal has a large gemmy section in the center.  It was photographed a year or two ago and appeared in the German mineral magazine Lapis.  It is one of the finest emerald found to date from this relatively new locality in Afghanistan. The terminations are somewhat etched but the pinacoid faces are readily visible on both ends.  No damage to this very attractive specimen.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

Cubic crystal of light lime green fluorite with octahedral modifications is the "mount" for this fully terminated crystals of tourmaline variety Schorl. Quite an oddity!

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

BLS-1  $145.00 
Blue Spinel
6 x 3.5 x 3 cm
Aliabad
Hunza Valley
Pakistan
 

This specimen has two octahedral formed crystals to 1 cm across and also a spinel law twin on the left side that is 0.8 cm in length.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

This free standing specimen has an excellent relatively large spinel law twin crystal that is 1.2 cm in length!

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

This rock has three crystals of blue spinel to 0.7 cm across.  The crystal on the far right is one of the gemmier crystals I found on any of these specimens.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

1.7 cm cluster of blue spinel crystals.  There are a few rough edges but the contrast of the blue and white are striking.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

This is one of the more intriguing twined crystals I have ever seen in spinels of any kind!  There are two spinel law twins forming off of one crystal.    This is something I have never seen before!

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

No frills specimen of blue spinel in calcite.  The largest crystal is 0.6 cm across.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

This specimen has two very sharply crystallied examples of the blue spinel to 1 cm across.  The habit is octahedral.

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John@TrinityMinerals.com

Click here to see the 2000 Saint-Marie aux Mines show report The Official Sainte-Marie aux Mines Show Website