Fiery red/orange, gemmy 1cm Chondrodite on matrix with oriented Magnetite crystals. Collected by J.P. Gliddon and considered by him to be one of the finest Chondrodites to ever be found a Palabora. The color and luster of the Chondrodite is superb (no brown overtones like so many Chondrodites), and the lustrous, triangular faces of the Magnetite, all in parallel growth, create a great effect.

Single Amethyst crystal, complete and good sized. I love the combination of the purple Amethyst at the base and the white/clear Quartz at the top.

Cluster of dark blue Azurite crystals which are translucent along the edges when backlit. Complete all around and undamaged (except for one tiny 2mm ding) with alteration to Malachite in areas around the base. Excellent luster on the Azurite. Looks like Tsumeb, but it's Toussit.

Light blue green (likely cuprian) Dolomite casts upon which grew white lenticular Dolomite crystals and acicular sprays of Malachite. A very 3-dimensional, floater specimen that is much better when held and turned in the hand.

Killer thumbnail Tanzanite, highly gemmy from top to bottom. Distinct green and blue color zoning in one direction with purple when viewed on the other faces, and red when viewed up the C-axis - four colors in one crystal! Illustrated in the Merelani issue of the Mineralogical Record, Figure 110, page 396, even better in person.

Fine, icey blue Tanzanite of exceptional quality. This crystal has top luster and great presence with superb transparency top to bottom, way better than the norm, witht he vast majority of Tanzanites being heavily fractured on the lower half and only transparent on the upper half. Good red up the C-axis too.

Gemmy, prismatic green Apophyllite crystals associated with a pearly white 2cm Stilbite cluster. Apophyllite is fairly common, but the greens much less so, and when they come together in attractive clusters like this they are truly 'flowers' of the mineral kingdom and a great addition to a fine collection.

Amazing double terminated Apophyllite crystal atop stalactitic quartz. The Apop is 4.9cm wide. I used to import hundreds of Indian minerals years ago, this was one of the very few that really stood out and was kept in my collection.

Highly translucent 1.8cm crystal in matrix, in fact I would call it gemmy. Most Afghanites don't excite me as they can be whitish blue, opaque, and crudely formed, but not this one. A well formed crystal, sharper than most, that begs to be trimmed into a superb thumbnail specimen.

A most unusual faden Quartz specimen that looks like a stack of double terminated Quartz crystals that slumped over to one side, with the faden line curved along with the crystals. Perfect and undamaged.

Gem quality single Aqua crystal I bought at the Tucson show around 1990. Aside from being a high quality gem crystal, it has the added appeal of having a number of unusual negative crystals included within that appear to be octahedral in shape.

Sharply formed Peridot crystal, which is not the norm for these as they ususally have a melted appearance with rounded edges. Gemmy with top lime green color without a hint of the usual olive tones. Additional smaller crystal in front too.

Superb 1.1 cm Cinnabar crystal set in lustrous white Dolomite. Translucent when backlit, undamaged.

Pair of interconnected, large Realgar crystals, the smaller crystal is double terminated.

Floater rosette of Pyrhottite, the best of a small lot purchased about 10 years ago.  These are not as well known as other minerals from Yaogangxian and are excellent specimens and a must for a Yaogangxian suite. Undamaged and pristine.

Transparent Quartz crystals overgrown by brown Hubeite and pink to red Inesite. The Inesite forms thick crystal clustes on the back of the Quartz. A good display from either front or backside.

Gemmy Realgar crystals to 2 cm long on matrix with scalenohedral Calcite.

Spherical groups of bright blue Cavansite clusters with large white Stilbite crystals. The arrangement of the Cavansite clusters with the large stilbite made this one stand out to me as compared to typical cavansites.

Near triple term, 1.8cm Benitoite on matrix with other smaller Benitoites. Although one corner of the main crystal is missing, it displays wonderfully with good blue color and translucency, with cutting quality gem areas in the crystals. This one was etched and purchased from Steve Perry in the early 1990s.

Floater cluster of Neptunite crystals, including a couple double terminated crystals. Rare to find such a 3-dimensional cluster free of matrix. The tall upright crystal has an area where another crystal formerly intergrew, and one of the others has an irregular area on one termination, but it is complete and undamaged.

Floater single Wulfenite with good color and luster, complete all around with some attached calcite crystals on the backside.

Large single Danburite with two smaller crystals set at an angle across the face. The crystals are undamaged with good luster and gemmyness near the termination. The crystal arrangement made this one stand out among similar single crystals.

Large single Danburite with a smaller crystal crossing across the face. The crystals have good luster and gemmyness near the termination. The crystal arrangement made this one stand out among similar single crystals.

GEM Danburite with great luster. I bought this during my first trip to Tucson back in the early 1990s from a man who went to Charcas and selected the most transparent crystals he could find. This one stands out among other Charcas Danburites for its brightness and the transparency top to bottom, as compared to most which are only transparent at the terminations. The quality is evident when held side by side with others.

Leaf-shaped specimen of crystallized Gold with larger crystals attached along the edges, 6.0 grams in weight.