Fine Mineral Specimens; Crystals; Gems and Minerals; Tourmaline; Calcite; Topaz; Aquamarine; Wholesale Minerals; Quartz; Beryl; Emerald; Ametrine; Amethyst

Quartz clusters

admin — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:52:38 +0000

Quartz is a silicon dioxide crystal with a hardness of 7. Its crystal system is hexagonal (trigonal), and it is among the most abundant of minerals. The name comes from the Greek for “ice.”

Citrine

admin — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 22:59:15 +0000

Citrine is a silicon dioxide mineral (a member of the quartz family), with a hardness of 7. Its crystal system is trigonal and its yellow pigmentation is derived from iron. The name comes from the French word citron, meaning lemon.

Amber

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:17:01 +0000

Colombian copal (amber) is a type of resin produced from plant sap from tropical legume and araucarian trees (conifers indigenous today to South America). The term copal was derived from “copalli,” a Spanish word meaning incense, which is what copal was and is still used for.

Garnet

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:05:36 +0000

Garnet is a gemstone found in a variety of colors. Most varieties, but not all, are aluminum silicates and their hardness varies from 6.5 to 7.5. The word Garnet is derived from the Latin word granatum, which meant “pomegranate” a reference to the mineral’s shape and color.

Laser Quartz

admin — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:49:49 +0000

Laser Quartz is the name given to a form of Quartz points which are naturally long and tapered towards the termination, which has small faces. Laser Quartz, also known as Laser Quartz Wands, are often etched on the surface.

Selenite

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:59:30 +0000

Selenite is a hydrous calcium sulfate with a hardness of 2. Selenite is a form of gypsum. Its crystals are typically tabular, with striations running along the length. Its name is derived from the Greek selenites (lithos), literally, moonstone or stone of the moon.

Pyrite

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:03:37 +0000

The mineral Pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. Pyrite is the most common of the sulfide minerals. This mineral’s metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname Fool’s Gold because of its resemblance to gold. The color has also led to the nicknames brass, brazzle and Brazil, primarily used to refer to pyrite found in coal. Pyrite is usually found associated with other sulfides or oxides in quartz veins, sedimentary rock, and metamorphic rock, as well as in coal beds.

Rutile

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:23:50 +0000

Rutile is a titanium oxide crystal with a hardness of 6 to 6.5. The crystals it forms are tetragonal, usually prismatic, and are often long and needle-shaped.

Laser Quartz with inclusions

admin — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:36:40 +0000

Morganite

admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:51:53 +0000

Morganite, also known as “pink beryl”, “rose beryl”, “pink emerald”, and “cesian (or caesian) beryl”, is a rare light pink to rose-colored gem-quality variety of beryl; a beryllium aluminum silicate mineral with a hardness of 7.5 to 8. Orange/yellow varieties of morganite can also be found, and color banding is common. Its crystal system is hexagonal (trigonal) and its coloris caused by manganese. Morganite was named after J.P. Morgan.