No. Potos Bol 5072
Potosiite on Franckeite  - $2200

From the impressive find of 2004, this specimen hosts two of the rarest sulfosalts in the world, and the Potosiite crystals are some of the finest in the worldd. This specimen is a highly attractive, ridiculously rare, superb quality, crystallized specimen of the triclinic lead, antimony, iron, tin sulfosalt Potosiite consisting of highly lustrous, heavily striated, tabular, elongated, "heart"-shaped twinned, AND "bent" blades sitting atop a crystallized matrix of the equally rare triclinic lead, tin, iron, antimony sulfosalt Franckeite. These species belong to the only group of minerals that forms in naturally "round" or "cylindrical" shaped crystals. For those of you who are unaware, the crystals of Potosiite on this specimen are EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE for the species. Before these new specimens were discovered, some of the largest known crystals of Potosiite were massive, uncrystallized, granules less than 1 mm. in most cases. This new find has completely redefined the species of Potosiite. The crystals on this specimen are NOT micros, you can clearly see them with the naked eye and they are very distinct. Please note that even though these are huge crystals, they are still breathtaking to view under the microscope, and I've included some micro photos for your viewing pleasure. The crystals of Potosiite from this historic find are undoubtedly the LARGEST KNOWN POTOSIITE CRYSTALS IN EXISTENCE, and this specimen hosts one of the single largest crystals of Potosiite in the world ! This piece would actually be a noteworthy specimen if it were only comprised of Franckeite, and none of the Potosiite was present. I know all you rarities collectors out there will appreciate the tremendous significance of these crystals. The Potosiite has been positively identified through X-ray diffraction. This is as good as it gets for Potosiite folks, and to find a small cabinet size piece such as this is worthy of notice. I obtained the lion's share of this material when it was found, and I have slowly been tricking out a few pieces here and there to collectors, but this piece remains as one of the finest pieces from the find, hands down. This material may never be found again, and it is exceptionally difficult to come by on the open market. I can say without fear of contradiction that these Potosiite specimens will go down as one of the major finds of any rare sulfosalt in the last 20 years. They are without a doubt one of the most substantial discoveries in Bolivia in a long time.

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No. Potos Bol 5073
Potosiite on Franckeite - $1495

From the impressive find of 2004, this specimen hosts two of the rarest sulfosalts in the world, and the Potosiite crystals are some of the finest in the worldd. This specimen is a highly attractive, ridiculously rare, superb quality, crystallized specimen of the triclinic lead, antimony, iron, tin sulfosalt Potosiite consisting of highly lustrous, heavily striated, tabular, elongated, twinned, AND "bent" blades sitting atop a crystallized matrix of the equally rare triclinic lead, tin, iron, antimony sulfosalt Franckeite. These species belong to the only group of minerals that forms in naturally "round" or "cylindrical" shaped crystals. For those of you who are unaware, the crystals of Potosiite on this specimen are EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE for the species. Before these new specimens were discovered, some of the largest known crystals of Potosiite were massive, uncrystallized, granules less than 1 mm. in most cases. This new find has completely redefined the species of Potosiite. The crystals on this specimen are NOT micros, you can clearly see them with the naked eye and they are very distinct. Please note that even though these are huge crystals, they are still breathtaking to view under the microscope, and I've included some micro photos for your viewing pleasure. The crystals of Potosiite from this historic find are undoubtedly the LARGEST KNOWN POTOSIITE CRYSTALS IN EXISTENCE, and this specimen hosts one of the single largest crystals of Potosiite in the world ! This piece would actually be a noteworthy specimen if it were only comprised of Franckeite, and none of the Potosiite was present. I know all you rarities collectors out there will appreciate the tremendous significance of these crystals. The Potosiite has been positively identified through X-ray diffraction. This is as good as it gets for Potosiite folks, and to find a small cabinet size piece such as this is worthy of notice. I obtained the lion's share of this material when it was found, and I have slowly been tricking out a few pieces here and there to collectors, but this piece remains as one of the finest pieces from the find, hands down. This material may never be found again, and it is exceptionally difficult to come by on the open market. I can say without fear of contradiction that these Potosiite specimens will go down as one of the major finds of any rare sulfosalt in the last 20 years. They are without a doubt one of the most substantial discoveries in Bolivia in a long time.

Locality: San Jose mine, Oruro City, Cercado Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 8.6 x 5.7 x 3.7 cm.
Largest Potosiite Crystal: 1.2 cm. !!

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No. Potos Bol 5074
Potosiite on Franckeite - $300 (RESERVED)

From the impressive find of 2004, this specimen hosts two of the rarest sulfosalts in the world, and the Potosiite crystals are some of the finest in the worldd. This specimen is a highly attractive, ridiculously rare, superb quality, crystallized specimen of the triclinic lead, antimony, iron, tin sulfosalt Potosiite consisting of highly lustrous, heavily striated, tabular, elongated, twinned, AND "bent" blades sitting atop a crystallized matrix of the equally rare triclinic lead, tin, iron, antimony sulfosalt Franckeite. These species belong to the only group of minerals that forms in naturally "round" or "cylindrical" shaped crystals. For those of you who are unaware, the crystals of Potosiite on this specimen are EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE for the species. Before these new specimens were discovered, some of the largest known crystals of Potosiite were massive, uncrystallized, granules less than 1 mm. in most cases. This new find has completely redefined the species of Potosiite. The crystals on this specimen are NOT micros, you can clearly see them with the naked eye and they are very distinct. Please note that even though these are huge crystals, they are still breathtaking to view under the microscope, and I've included some micro photos for your viewing pleasure. The crystals of Potosiite from this historic find are undoubtedly the LARGEST KNOWN POTOSIITE CRYSTALS IN EXISTENCE. This piece would actually be a noteworthy specimen if it were only comprised of Franckeite, and none of the Potosiite was present. I know all you rarities collectors out there will appreciate the tremendous significance of these crystals. The Potosiite has been positively identified through X-ray diffraction. This is as good as it gets for Potosiite folks, and to find a miniature size piece such as this is worthy of notice. I obtained the lion's share of this material when it was found, and I have slowly been tricking out a few pieces here and there to collectors, but this piece remains as one of the finest pieces from the find, hands down. This material may never be found again, and it is exceptionally difficult to come by on the open market. I can say without fear of contradiction that these Potosiite specimens will go down as one of the major finds of any rare sulfosalt in the last 20 years. They are without a doubt one of the most substantial discoveries in Bolivia in a long time.

Locality: San Jose mine, Oruro City, Cercado Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 4.5 x 3.0 x 1.8 cm.
Largest Potosiite Crystal: 0.6 cm.

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No. Andor Bol 5071
Andorite - $2500

From the amazing find in November 2004. Andorite is lead, silver, antimony sulfosalt and was named for the Hungarian mineral collector Andor von Semsey (1833-1923), who holds a remarkable distinction for having two mineral species named after him (andorite and semseyite). I personally acquired the entire lot of ALL the top crystals that came into the U.S. in late 2004 through early 2005, of which many experts considered to be such a significant find, that it completely redefined Andorite as a crystallized species. This mine at Oruro dates Spanish mining as far back as the year 1595 and was mined by Incan Indians for several centuries prior. In all the years of mining, these are undoubtedly the world's finest Andorites extant! These specimens were extracted from the same vein system worked by the father of Bolivian mineralogy, Federico Ahlfeld. Ahlfeld worked the San Jose mine and Itos mine (the other significant Andorite locality at the same mountain in Oruro) when the mines were used predominantly as a major sources of tin to the United States during WWII. It was highly implausible that a find of this magnitude would ever happen considering the extensive work and time that had passed since any noteable Andorite specimens had made their way out of Bolivia. I debuted the best of these specimens in Tucson two years ago, and they were very well received by all who saw them. I will say with that we may never again see a find of Andorite this significant from any locality.

Andorite is one of my favorite species from Bolivia, hands down. This small cabinet size specimen features excellent, relatively sharp, very good size, semi lustrous, striated, steel grey crystals of this rare lead, silver, antimony sulfosalt. The piece is associated with a small spray of acicular Zinkenite at the base. The majority of the specimens from this find were merely single crystals off matrix, but clusters such as this specimen only existed in about 5% of the pieces found. I will say that this is certainly one of the most aesthetic crystal groups from this find, and the size of the crystals places it in the upper ranks of all specimens found. The majority of the crystals are in excellent condition, with only a few contacts here and there. Considering the great size, rarity and artistic configuration of this specimen, the small amount of damage is forgivable, especially when compared to older specimens from 60 years ago which were riddled with damage and had poor aesthetics. It is very difficult to find any samples of this mineral on the market today, and until very recently, the locality had not produced specimens in MANY years. This is a wonderful opportunity to own a superb specimen of this extraordinarly rare mineral species.

Locality: San Jose mine, Oruro City, Cercado Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 6.1 x 5.5 x 4.0 cm.
Largest Crystal: 5.5 cm. long

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No. Andor Bol 5072
Andorite on Pyrite - $350

From the amazing find in November 2004. Andorite is lead, silver, antimony sulfosalt and was named for the Hungarian mineral collector Andor von Semsey (1833-1923), who holds a remarkable distinction for having two mineral species named after him (andorite and semseyite). I personally acquired the entire lot of ALL the top crystals that came into the U.S. in late 2004 through early 2005, of which many experts considered to be such a significant find, that it completely redefined Andorite as a crystallized species. This mine at Oruro dates Spanish mining as far back as the year 1595 and was mined by Incan Indians for several centuries prior. In all the years of mining, these are undoubtedly the world's finest Andorites extant! These specimens were extracted from the same vein system worked by the father of Bolivian mineralogy, Federico Ahlfeld. Ahlfeld worked the San Jose mine and Itos mine (the other significant Andorite locality at the same mountain in Oruro) when the mines were used predominantly as a major sources of tin to the United States during WWII. It was highly implausible that a find of this magnitude would ever happen considering the extensive work and time that had passed since any noteable Andorite specimens had made their way out of Bolivia. I debuted the best of these specimens in Tucson two years ago, and they were very well received by all who saw them. I will say with that we may never again see a find of Andorite this significant from any locality.

Andorite is one of my favorite species from Bolivia, hands down. This miniature size specimen features excellent, relatively sharp, very good size, lustrous, striated, steel grey crystals of this rare lead, silver, antimony sulfosalt sitting atop crystallized Pyrite matrix. The majority of the specimens from this find were merely single crystals off matrix, but matrix specimen such as this only existed in about 5% of the pieces found. I will say that this is certainly one of the most aesthetic specimens from this find, and very few pieces were found on Pyrite matrix, as most matrix specimens were on Zinkenite. The majority of the crystals on this piece are in excellent condition, but I will say that some are contacted. Considering the rarity and artistic configuration of this specimen, combined with the fact that it's on an attractive matrix, the amount of damage is forgivable, especially due to the fact that matrix Andorite specimens are next to impossible to obtain. It is very difficult to find any samples of this mineral on the market today, and until very recently, the locality had not produced specimens in MANY years. This is a wonderful opportunity to own a superb display specimen of this extraordinarly rare mineral species.

Locality: San Jose mine, Oruro City, Cercado Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 4.5 x 3.7 x 3.1 cm.
Largest Crystal: 1.6 cm.

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No. Stann Bol 5074
Stannite (huge twin) with Andorite and Zinkenite - (SOLD)

From the momentous find of 2004. This boom at the San Jose mine gave us a plethora of top notch sulfides, the likes of which may never be matched from any mine in Bolivia. This find produced record setting Andorite and Potosiite specimens, but also produced some of the finest Stannites ever found from any world locality. I am very proud to offer this Stannite, as it represents one of the finest I've seen from this mine. This specimen hosts a shockingly large, sharp, silvery brass colored twinned crystal of the rare copper iron tin sulfide Stannite which is associated with a few rare, steel grey, striated tabular crystals of Andorite and a spray of acicular Zinkenite crystals on the back. This is simply one of the largest twinned Stannite crystals to come from this recent find at San Jose, and the exceptional Andorite association gives this piece an added flair that was lacking with a large percentage of the pieces found. This twin is larger than the vast majority of Stannites that I have seen from China, and for my money, it is superior because most of the the Chinese crystals are usually composite crystal groups consisting of many smaller crystals to form a larger aggregate. I will say that I have yet to see another Stannite of this size or significance from Bolivia offered for sale in any format. If you've been paying attention, you know that these specimens were selling for serious amounts when they first made their way to the market, and I know that this piece is priced near or below what other dealers were asking for specimens of lesser size and quality. One would be hard pressed to find another Stannite from San Jose in this size for this price.

Locality: San Jose mine, Oruro City, Cercado Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 3.6 x 3.3 x 2.9 cm.

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No. Stann Bol 5072
Stannite and Andorite on Zinkenite - $295

From the impressive find of 2004. This boom at the San Jose mine gave us a plethora of top notch sulfides, the likes of which may never be matched from any mine in Bolivia. This find produced record setting Andorite and Potosiite specimens, but also produced some of the finest Stannites ever found from any world locality. This specimen hosts a relatively large, sharp, silvery colored twinned crystal of the rare copper iron tin sulfide Stannite which is associated with a few steel grey, striated tabular crystals of Andorite in a flowing nest of acicular Zinkenite crystals. The vast majority of the Stannite specimens from this find were found off matrix, which makes this piece that much more distinctive. I will say that the Zinkenite matrix is brittle and somewhat crumbly, so this piece must be handled with care. Regardless, it is a MATRIX Stannite specimen from this find, with a great association of two rare sulfides. There were only a handful of these specimens, and for my money, they are superior to many of the Stannites from China because the Chinese specimens are usually composite crystal groups consisting of many smaller crystals to form a larger aggregate.

Locality: San Jose mine, Oruro City, Cercado Province, Oruro Department, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 5.3 x 4.7 x 2.7 cm.
Stannite Twin: 1.5 cm. across
Largest Andorite: 1.3 cm.

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No. Stann Bol 5073
Stannite on Zinkenite - $1250

From the impressive find of 2004. This boom at the San Jose mine gave us a plethora of top notch sulfides, the likes of which may never be matched from any mine in Bolivia. This find produced record setting Andorite and Potosiite specimens, but also produced some of the finest Stannites ever found from any world locality. This specimen hosts a large, sharp, lustrous, silvery colored twinned crystal of the rare copper iron tin sulfide Stannite sitting atop a semi lustrous, acicular spray of Zinkenite crystals. This is a first-rate matrix Stannite specimen, and one of the best pieces from the find that I've handled. The vast majority of the Stannite specimens from this find were found off matrix, which makes this piece that much more distinctive. I will say that the Zinkenite matrix is brittle and somewhat crumbly, so this piece must be handled with care. Regardless, it is a MATRIX Stannite specimen from this find, with a great association of another rare sulfide. There were only a handful of these specimens, and for my money, they are superior to many of the Stannites from China because the Chinese crystals are usually composite crystal groups consisting of many smaller crystals to form a larger aggregate. This is a very choice specimen for what are some of the largest crystals of this species in the world. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that it is unlikely we will ever see these superb Stannite specimens from San Jose again.

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No. Bourn Bol 5071
Bournonite ("Cogwheel") - $125

Over the last 10 years or so, Machacamarca has produced some of the best Bolivian Bournonite specimens ever found. The diversity of habits and superb quality of the crystals that have come out over the years has set this mine apart as one of the premier localities for the species. Most people are familiar with the new Chinese Bournonites on the market, and because Bolivia does not receive nearly as much attention, I want people to know that I have personally handled some of the finest Bournonite specimens from any locality in the Western Hemisphere that came from this mine. One of the most classic habits for Bournonite is the so called "cogwheel" form that occurs when crystals are twinned along the "m" prism face of crystals. Some of the most well known examples of this habit were found at the Herodsfoot mine in St Just and Wheal Boys mine in Endellion, Cornwall, England. This piece is a highly aesthetic specimen showing the classic "cogwheel" twinning with great reentrant angles between the "cogs". The piece is has a charming, bright gun metal luster and is complete 3/4 of the way around. It is in amazing fine condtion, and with so many of the Chinese "cogwheels" on the market (most of which are riddled with damage hosting very high prices), this piece is an apparent bargain for the size and quality. A great thumbnail sized specimen from this lesser recognized Bolivian locality.

 

No. Bourn Bol 5072
Bournonite - $225

Over the last 10 years or so, Machacamarca has produced some of the best Bolivian Bournonite specimens ever found. The diversity of habits and superb quality of the crystals that have come out over the years has set this mine apart as one of the premier localities for the species. Most people are familiar with the new Chinese Bournonites on the market, and because Bolivia does not receive nearly as much attention, I want people to know that I have personally handled some of the finest Bournonite specimens from any locality in the Western Hemisphere that came from this mine. This piece features a few fine quality tabular crystals of Bournonite with very sharp faces and a lovely, bright gun metal luster sitting atop micro crystallized Pyrite matrix. The piece is virtually undamaged and undeniably catches one's attention. Top quality Bournonites on Pyrite matrix are not easy to find from Bolivia, and this is one of the few mines in the world that produces such fine crystals on Pyrite, as most other mines tend to produce Bournonites on Quartz.

No. Bourn Bol 5073
Bournonite - $175

Over the last 10 years or so, Machacamarca has produced some of the best Bolivian Bournonite specimens ever found. The diversity of habits and superb quality of the crystals that have come out over the years has set this mine apart as one of the premier localities for the species. Most people are familiar with the new Chinese Bournonites on the market, and because Bolivia does not receive nearly as much attention, I want people to know that I have personally handled some of the finest Bournonite specimens from any locality in the Western Hemisphere that came from this mine. This piece features a fine quality tabular crystal of Bournonite with sharp faces and a lovely, bright gun metal luster sitting atop a crust of micro crystallized Quartz. There are some additional complexly crystallized Bournonites on the specimen which are a testament to the fact that many of the Bournonite specimens from this mine show multiple crystal habits on the same specimen.

Locality: Viboras section, Machacamarca, near Colavi, Potosi Department, Bolivia

Specimen Size: 7.5 x 3.6 x 2.6 cm.
Main Bournonite Crystal: 2.0 cm. across

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No. Valen Bol 5071
Valentinite - $400

This is a superb example of the rare antimony axide, Valentinite (pronounced: vah-LEN-tin-ite). The piece features many sharp, lustrous, gemmy, whitish-grey, tabular orthorhombic crystals of sitting atop minor matrix. For the overall size and quality, it is one of the better Valentinites I've had to offer in a long time. It is very difficult to find a superb cluster of crystals in my experience with the Valentinites from this mine, as most specimens featured a solitary crystal on matrix. This piece came from the great find at Colavi about 6 years ago, and I have not seen any more specimens from this mine since that time. I actually found this piece mixed in an assorted flat of Bolivian rarities that had been lost for a few years, A great chance to have a matrix specimen of a very hard to find mineral. This piece is a very nice thumbnail specimen, and a great overall specimen for any rarities collector.

Locality: Colavi mine, Cornelio Saavedra Province, Potosi Department, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 2.6 x 2.5 x 1.8 cm.
Largest Crystal: 1.0 cm.

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No. Metast Bol 5071
Metastibnite (Superb quality) - $150 (SOLD)

Metastibnite is a relatively rare antimony sulfide and is dimorphous with Stibnite. I was very proud to obtain a few of these wonderful, unique and interesting Metastibnite specimens from Bolivia, which were collected in the Fall of 2003. Before this discovery, Metastibnite was only known as amorphous specs and was never considered to be a colletor's species, although it has been around for over 100 years. These new specimens redefined the species for quality and size, but the fact that these are crystallized specimens, make them truly desirable for collectors. This specimen is a fantastic, lustrous, bright silver color, botryoidal crystal group of this rare species. The "spheres" on this specimen are the best in the world for quality and crystal size. This is one of the very best specimens that I acquired from the single pocket find. If you're a species collector, this one is for you. There are no more of these specimens, so I suggest if you want one, do not hesitate.

 

 

No. Cyl Bol 5071
Cylindrite - $395

This is a rich of specimen of one of the most unique species in all the mineral kingdom. Cylindrite is a lead, iron, tin, antimony sulfosalt that forms in "cylinder" or "tube" shaped crystals, hence the name. This small "cabinet" size specimen is especially impressive considering that it hosts rather long crystals. It truly is a great rarity to obtain a good display specimen of this species, and this particular specimen is loaded with dozens upon dozens of crystals. I personally acquired this specimen at the mine at Poopo which is the type locality for the species. A great opportunity for any collector to own a very one of a kind species rarely seen for sale in today's market.

Locality: Poopo, Poopo Province, Oruro Department, 48 km SSE of Oruro, Bolivia.

Specimen Size: 8.5 x 5.8 x 4.1 cm.
Largest Crystal: 2.5 cm. long

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