Montejícar is located midway between Granada and Jaén, in the northern limit of the province of Granada. This area is known among mineral collectors for the excellent quartz, smoked to morion, doubly terminated and with very poorly developed prism faces, which gives them a characteristic dipyramidal shape. These specimens are found in banded gypsum and marl from the Trias in a Keuper facies characteristic of the Cortijo Cañadas, in the N of the Montejícar municipal district. In the area there are some interesting ruins of plaster kilns.

Size: 6.6 x 3.2 x 2.7 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 9 mm.

Group of calcite crystals, defined, transparent and brilliant, with a developed prism and negative rhombohedron top terminal faces. On a matrix of barite and calcite. They were collected in a  from open-air mining works in the area of Duyos. Nowadays, these samples from this Asturian mine are very difficult to obtain. They come from the former Manchion collection (with label).

Size: 4.9 x 3.0 x 2.8 cm.
Main crystal: 1.5 x 0.4 cm.
Found in 01/1984.

Col. J.M. Manchion (Barcelona) - No.63 (J. Viñals).
Calcite is fluorescent under LW-UV.

Group of huge size orthoclase crystals, showing the complex faces. Nice slightly orange color and defined edges and faces. It was collected many years ago near of the Montseny massif; this area was well known for orthoclase mineral collectors. A classic from a classic Catalan collection.

Size: 6.5 x 5.4 x 4 cm.
Main crystal: 40 x 27 mm.

Excol. Misser (Llinars del Vallès)

Baryte specimens from this Maghrebian locality are very unusual. They appear labeled as Irhoud and there is a discussion about the locality. These are aggregates of tabular lanceolate baryte crystals those form beautiful rosettes, very aerial disposed, with inclusions those give them these reddish tones. On a matrix with quartz. A rarity.
Echemaïa (Arabic: الشماعية) is a city of Morocco, located in the region of Marrakech-Safi between the city of Safi and Marrakech. Formerly called "Al Kasba" it was renamed "Chemaïa" (literally: "La Chandelière") since the establishment of one of the largest candle factories in the region.

Size: 9.5 x 7.0 x 4.7 cm.
Main crystal: 25 mm.
Found in 1970's.

Col. J.M. Manchion (Barcelona) - No. 325 (1987)

A rich group of baryte crystals, with staggered stalactite growths, intense white, with defined faces and edges and forming a very displayable and aesthetic "crest". A Spanish classic, different from the usual.

Size: 12 x 5.5 x 4.5 cm.

Col. J.M. Manchion (Barcelona) - No. 460 (Sants, 1989)

Rich group of fluorite crystals, cubic, transparent and very brilliant. With a yellow color with greenish tones. They are partially covered by snowy white rhombohedral curved dolomite crystals. From a classic Spanish mine.

Size: 7.0 x 5.5 x 3.5 cm.

Group of barite crystals with parallel growth, between transparent and translucent, with brilliant, honey to yellowish tone and with defined tabular shape. An aesthetic specimen with a minor marcasite matrix.

Size: 4.8 x 4.3 x 3.7 cm.
Main crystal: 3.7 x 2.8 cm.
Found in 2013.

Two generations of vanadinite crystals. A good-sized brilliant crystals, with echeloned growths and defined faces and edges. With good color yellow and peppered by deep black coronadite globular aggregates and covering the matrix. Another generation shows small crystals (<1 mm) but with a nice luster, transparence, and yellowish tone. Both are on goethite with mottramite crystals.

Size: 8.5 x 7.7 x 4.6 cm.
Found in 2012

Group of fluorite crystals showing cubic faces with edges beveled by tetrahexahedron. Brilliance, transparence and with a slight bluish tint. A very aesthetic miniature from this classic fluorite Spanish locality.

Size: 5.7 x 5.5 x 3.0 cm.
Main crystal: 12 x 12 mm.

Very aesthetic stalactic-botryoidal formation of goethite, with some iridescence. This specimen does not show those colors seen in the samples of this locality since it has not been manually husked. It is presented in the original shape with which it appears in the deposit, nowadays very difficult to find.

Size: 8.3 x 4.5 x 3.0 cm.
Found in 2011.

From a locality not well represented in collections, we can enjoy this specimen formed by several fibrous aggregates of actinolite (byssolite), brilliant and with a greenish color. Disposed on a matrix with quartz and albite.

Size: 7.4 x 4.0 x 2.5 cm.

Very aesthetic group of tabular baryte crystals, with a delicate blue color, brilliant and transparent. Damage free, with some goethite inclusions. Very aerial disposed on the matrix.

Size: 5.0 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 40 x 30 mm aggr.

These specimens of Peruvian arsenopyrite stand out for their excellent luster and perfection of its crystals. With the camera I am not able to capture its real beauty. On a sulfide matrix we can enjoy hundreds of arsenopyrite crystals, prismatic, with defined terminal faces, rather than well-defined. They're accompanied by chalcopyrite crystals with dull luster, but gold tone, also well-defined and twinned. Brilliance and quality. A novelty of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2016.
In this sample we see aggregates of intense black color and metallic luster which analysis indicates that it is ferberite (with minor % Mn). Simply outstanding.

Size: 6.5 x 6.3 x 4.0 cm.
Main crystal: 5 x 2 mm.
Found in 2016.

Very brilliant specimen formed by numerous polysynthetic growths of octahedral pyrite crystals. The golden color is superior and brilliance, as we said before, is really excellent. With white milky quartz. A fine piece from a not well represented locality.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 6.8 x 5.2 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 9 mm.
Found in 2013.

Bright specimen that consists of parallel aggregates of tabular baryte crystals on which we can observe various groups of marcasite crystals, many isolated, twinned, flattened and with good brightness. Very representative for the species and with an interesting mineral balance.

Size: 5.8 x 5.5 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 15 x 10 mm. marc.
Found in 2013.

Druse formed by a group of quartz var. amethyst-smoky crystals, showing defined faces and edges, from translucent to transparent. One has a small notch in its upper face. They are disposed on a matrix of feldspar, probably orthoclase, with prismatic crystals of green epidote and fibrous actinolite.

Size: 6.5 x 6.0 x 5.5 cm.

Rich group of galena cube-octahedral crystals, some of them complex, defined faces and edges, and with a better quality than usual for the locality. They are disposed on a matrix covered by small and brilliant quartz crystals. Accompanied by several aggregates of golden twinned marcasite sharp crystals, brilliant, with aggregates pyrite. Very fine specimen.
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 13.5 x 8.5 x 6.0 cm.
Main crystal: 7 x 6 mm. galena
Found in 2013.

Druse of quartz crystals var. amethyst, well defined faces and short prism. Transparent to translucent with inclusions of acicular prismatic crystals, probably epidote.

Size: 6.5 x 5.3 x 2.7 cm.

Huge size parallel growth of tabular crystals of barite, very sharp and with very well defined faces and edges. They are translucent and very bright and have flattened crystals of marcasite showing the twin known as "cockscomb".
These mines are located approximately 50 km south of Alnif, near the border with Algeria. This area was already mined in medieval age for the extraction of copper. In the 60s of the last century, French companies expanded shafts and mineral extraction.

Size: 10.7 x 7.3 x 4.5 cm.
Main crystal: 34 x 27 mm.
Found in 2011.

Specimens of this mine are unusual in the market. This sample, from an former collection, is one of those pieces that make us appreciate the minerals of the La Gaviota mine. On a matrix of goethite, partially covered with tiny crystals of pyrolusite, are disposed very aerial a rich group of tabular barite crystals. Between translucent to transparent. An opportunity to represent perfectly this mine in our collection.

Size: 12.5 x 8.6 x 5.2 cm.
Main crystal: 25 x 20 mm.
Found in 1990's.

Brilliant specimen showing a very well defined crystals of arsenopyrite covering the matrix, some of them with good size. They are accompanied by brilliant quartz crystals, pinkish calcite due to the content of Mn and small groups of boulangerite needles. A very luminous specimen.

Size: 8.3 x 6.8 x 5.2 cm.

A novelty in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2015. A rich group of well defined azurite crystals, good brilliance and with transparence. The blue color is very intense. With malachite fan-shaped aggregates. They are disposed in a vug into the gossan-cuprite matrix. Showy specimen from a copper and gold mine located in Laos, not well-known and less represented in collections. Few specimens from this mine had been previously seen in the market but with lower quality.

Size: 8.0 x 7.0 x 4.8 cm.
Main crystal: 8 x 5 mm.
Found in 2015.

Group of grossular, hessonite variety, one of them bigger. Good orange to brown color, translucent and curved faces and edges.

Size: 6.0 x 5.8 x 4.7 cm.

From a classic Murcian loocality as corta San Valentín comes this specimen formed by a large group of bright sphalerite crystals with tetrahedral and complex shapes, good brightness and partially covered bu lenticular and rhombohedral orange siderite crystals. A very aesthetically striking contrast color.

Size: 7.8 x 6.5 x 3.5 cm.
Main crystal: 10 x 10 mm.
Found in 2013.

Group of stalactitic aggregates of barite crystals. They are very aerial disposed and formed by bladed crystals with chisel-shaped terminations. With a really good brilliance, some transparence and white color. A notable recent find from this Mediterranean mining area that never stops to surprise us.

Size: 8.8 x 7.0 x 5.3 cm.
Main crystal: 25 x 12 mm. aggreg.
Found in 12/2014.