In this specimen we can enjoy several groups of wire silver. They show skeletal growth, with an metallic luster. Accompanied by black acanthite aggregates. From a classic locality for the Catalan and Spanish mineralogy. A good chance to represent this locality in your collection.

Size: 5.0 x 4.3 x 3.6 cm.
Found in ± 1999.

Analyzed specimen with report

In this specimen we can enjoy several groups of wire silver formed by small but brilliant crystals. They show skeletal and arborescent growth, with an excellent metallic luster. Accompanied by black acanthite aggregates but some of them very brilliant, curious. From a classic locality for the Catalan and Spanish mineralogy. A good chance to represent this locality in your collection. Last specimens.

Size: 4.0 x 3.0 x 2.8 cm.
Found in ± 1999.

Analyzed specimen with report

Curious globular aggregates formed by numerous fluorite octahedral crystals that have grown together, reaching this globular shape. If you look closely under magnification the specimen you can observe different growing phases. So we can see small colorless octahedra, others as groups of a few crystals sharing faces and symmetry, and some with many octahedrons close to this globular shape. Very fluorescent under LW-UV. Slight green color, with some transparence and brilliance. They are disposed on an matrix of hard porphyry.

This area is known as Singuerlín (a neighborhood of Santa Coloma de Gramenet city, close to Barcelona) and from 60's collectors has found these globular aggregates with tones between white, yellow or slightly greenish. Then some specimens were analyzed and labeled as gearksutite. More recent analysis did not indicate the presence of this species but only fluorite.

Size: 9.0 x 8.5 x 5.0 cm.
Main crystal: 9 x 8 mm aggr.
Found in 2014.

Fluorescent under long wave UV

A group of fluorite crystals those, at first glance, seem just octahedra, but if you take a look carefully you will see complex terminations. Some crystals are isolated increasing its aesthetics. Good transparence and intense green color.
This specimen belongs to the "old" fluorites from Berta quarry, from an area of ​​sericitized granodiorite. In the fractures, if it was enough space, they grew lining the walls. When quarry worked lower levels fluorite appeared in fresh granite matrix, but mostly without this depth of color. A great speciemen. A classic between classics of our country.

Size: 5.7 x 4.7 x 4.0 cm.
Main crystal: 9 x 8 mm.
Found in ca 1997.

Fluorescent under long wave UV

Very aesthetic sprays of fan-shaped lavendulan crystals, with an intense blue color and perfectly defined under magnifiying glass. It is accompanied by green botryoidal aggregates of conichalcite (mainly in back side) and some azurite. Also yellowish spherules of arsencrandallite and brown yukonite. Lavendulan from Pastrana has been famous for its intensity of color and its crystallization.
The small prospect in La Reconquistada claim is near of the former Dolores iron mine, in the same area of La Atalaya and Umbria de Ramonete (Lorca) small mining operations for the attempted extraction of copper ores.

Size: 6.0 x 4.7 x 3.6 cm.

Group of sharp orthoclase crystals with an orange color. Accompanied by a large group of crystals of albite. You can see the presence of a small group of almandine red crystals. From a classic Catalan locality.

Size: 9.2 x 5.4 x 3.0 cm.
Found in 1970's.

Ex-coll. Daunis-Ruscalleda

Cronstedtite is a rare iron silicate of the kaolinite-serpentine group. This is a good representative of the cronstedtite specimens from this classic Spanish mine. It shows a lustrous, black, trigonal crystals forming groups on the matrix. It is a rare oportunity to get good specimens of this species.

Size: 5.0 x 3.8 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 8 x 4 mm (aggr).

These calcite specimens were found in a pocket in the El Americano (Can Sala) mine-quarries, in the Montseny mountains. This big geode was called "Mercedes" due to the curious color zoning that can be observed at the terminal rhombohedrons faces reminiscent of the German automobile company logo.
Crystals appeared partially coated by carbonated iron oxides and sometimes showed a complex prism, sometimes growing on scalenohedral crystals (like this specimen). This calcite shows a intense fluorescence under UV light. These pieces have disappeared from the market.

Size: 11.7 x 6.5 x 6.5 cm.
Main crystal: 18 x 12 mm.
Found in ca. 2006.

Calcite is fluorescent under LW-UV.

These calcite specimens were found in a pocket in the El Americano (Can Sala) mine-quarries, in the Montseny mountains. This big geode was called "Mercedes" due to the curious color zoning that can be observed at the terminal rhombohedrons faces reminiscent of the German automobile company logo.
Crystals appeared partially coated by carbonated iron oxides and sometimes showed a complex prism, sometimes growing on scalenohedral crystals. This calcite shows a intense fluorescence under UV light. These pieces have disappeared from the market.

Size: 10.5 x 8.5 x 6.5 cm.
Main crystal: 12 x 20 mm.
Found in ca. 2006.

Calcite is fluorescent under LW-UV.

These calcite specimens were found in a pocket in the El Americano (Can Sala) mine-quarries, in the Montseny mountains. This big geode was called "Mercedes" due to the curious color zoning that can be observed at the terminal rhombohedrons faces reminiscent of the German automobile company logo.
Crystals appeared partially coated by carbonated iron oxides and sometimes showed a complex prism, sometimes growing on scalenohedral crystals. This calcite shows a intense fluorescence under UV light. These pieces have disappeared from the market.

Size: 5.5 x 4.7 x 3.7 cm.
Main crystal: 30 x 25 mm.
Found in ca. 2006.

Calcite is fluorescent under LW-UV.

Very esthetic group of fluorite crystals, transparent, with brilliance and very sharp faces and edges, showing forms the cube with the dodecahedron. Violet to bluish tone with color zoning. A miniature from a classic Spanish locality.

Size: 3.0 x 2.5 x 2.2 cm.
Main crystal: 15 x 13 mm.
Found in 2013.

Very esthetic group of fluorite crystals, very transparent, with dull luster and very sharp faces and edges, showing forms the cube with the dodecahedron and small trapezohedron. Violet tone color zoning. On a small quartz matrix. From a classic locality.

Size: 3.8 x 2.7 x 2.5 cm.
Main crystal: 18 x 16 mm.
Found in 2010.

Small specimen of fluorite formed by a group of colorless crystals, translucent, dull and showing forms of the cube and the dodecahedron. A representative miniature.

Size: 2.5 x 2.4 x 2.2 cm.
Main crystal: 12 x 12 mm.
Found in 2010.

Very esthetic group of fluorite crystals, very transparent, with brilliance and very sharp faces and edges, showing forms the cube with the dodecahedron and small trapezohedron. Violet tone color zoning. From a classic locality.

Size: 4.0 x 2.2 x 1.7 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 9 mm.
Found in 2010.

An aesthetic specimen of twinned cassiterite crystals, lustrous, striated, deep black very aerial disposed on a schist matrix with muscovite plates. This excellent piece is from a classic Spanish locality for cassiterite.

Size: 6.6 x 4.8 x 3.6 cm.
Main crystal: 25 x 18 mm.

Group of datolite crystals, very rich in faces, translucent-white and well defined. They are on a matrix with calcite and quartz, with some epidote-clinozoisite. A piece of a well-known Spanish quarry from where nowadays is very difficult obtain samples because they are not making new blastings.

Size: 6.5 x 4.5 x 3.7 cm.
Main crystal: 4 x 3 mm.
Found in ca. 2005.

A rich group of scalenohedral calcite crystals showing parallel growth, with very sharp faces and edges. They are peppered by small crystals of chalcopyrite. They are accompanied by groups of brilliant fluorite crystals, with transparence, bluish tones and cubic forms truncated by the dodecahedron.

Size: 10.0 x 7.0 x 5.0 cm.
Main crystal: 32 x 25 mm.
Found in 2009.

Fluorescent under long wave UV

They are well known yellow and colorless fluorite specimens from Matagalls (Sant Marçal) mines in the Montseny massif. But less common are these fluorite with blue to green tones (depending on the type of incident light). They show crystals cubic with defined faces and edges, good brilliance and transparence. They are accompanied by small aggregates of hyaline quartz. A historical piece.

Size: 7.5 x 4.2 x 3.7 cm.
Main crystal: 7 x 6 mm.
Found in 1990's.

Ex. col. Joan Rosell.
Fluorescent under long wave UV

Fragment of a calcite vein that presents a more rich cobaltoan area which gives this pink tone. An old specimen (ca. 1980) that deserves our attention. From a classic Catalan mine.

Size: 6.4 x 5.3 x 4.3 cm.
Found in ca. 1980.

Fluorescent under long wave UV

This specimen is from my old field trips to the El Molar (Tarragona) area. In this sample we combine rhodonite (more granular appearance, crystalline) with pyroxmangite (more compact appearance). Accompanied by black veins of todorokite. The tephroite, scarce, appears as patches of brownish tone in the manganese oxydes. These differentiations rhodonite-pyroxmangite are indicative, both minerals usually appear mixed.

It is an old mine we call generically as Serrana mine, although in fact there are two different mines, with two separate dumps, one corresponding to the actual Serrana mine (with horizontal works), while the other (closest to the river and with vertical works) would be known as Manganese mine.

Size: 6.8 x 5.5 x 5.0 cm.
Found in 1980's

Ex. col. Joan Rosell.

This specimen is from my old field trips to the El Molar (Tarragona) area. In this sample we combine rhodonite (more granular appearance, crystalline) with pyroxmangite (more compact appearance). Accompanied by black veins of todorokite. The tephroite, scarce, appears as patches of brownish tone. These differentiations rhodonite-pyroxmangite are indicative, both minerals usually appear mixed.

It is an old mine we call generically as Serrana mine, although in fact there are two different mines, with two separate dumps, one corresponding to the actual Serrana mine (with horizontal works), while the other (closest to the river and with vertical works) would be known as Manganese mine.

 

Size: 5.2 x 4.8 x 3.7 cm.
Found in 1980's.

Ex. col. Joan Rosell.

This is a specimen of tabular barite crystals, colorless to yellowish tones and very good transparence. With minor marcassite on matrix. Stable till 1990's. These specimens are uncommon in the market. It comes from the former Daunis (Barcelona) collection. A piece with history.

Size: 8.0 x 5.0 x 4.2 cm.
Main crystal: 5 x 4 mm.
Found in ±1990.

Ex.col. Daunis (Barcelona).

In the matrix of goethite we observe several cavities covered by small brilliant crystals, gray metallic luster; once analyzed results indicated to be hydrohetaerolite. We discuss whether it is hetaerolita, but analysis carried by Joan Viñals indicated the hydrated form. Under the SEM-EDS, tetragonal dipyramids are observed. It is accompanied by calcite crystals and hemimorphite (tabular crystals in book shape). SEM-EDS analysis will be sent to buyer.

Size: 7.3 x 6.4 x 6.3 cm.

Analyzed specimen with report

A good size crystal of teruelite, a variety of dolomite, from the Valencian cut in the CV-35 road well known for these sized specimens. The crystal shows the rhombohedron, brown and translucent under the light. It is included in a solid matrix of gypsum.

Size: 8.8 x 5.3 xv 4.4 cm.
Main crystal: 30 x 20 mm.

A very rich group of prismatic crystals, some almost acicular, of brochantite with an intense green colour and good brilliance and transparence. Nice to be displayed and enjoyed under magnifying glass. Disposed in the baryte cavities. SEM-EDS analysis results will be sent to the buyer.

Size: 6.5 x 5.6 x 4.3 cm.
Main crystal: 2-3 mm.
Found in 1990's

Analyzed specimen / Mineral analizado