Best Of California Minerals

Thats a great Barite Jay, it has a lot of appeal, thanks for sharing.

Thats a great Barite Jay, it has a lot of appeal, thanks for sharing.

Self Collected from the Blue Bell (Hard Luck) Claims, near Baker, San Bernardino County, California. Center of close-up photo shows small purple Fluorite cubes decorating edge of orange Wulfenite crystal. I was told that this specimen also has Plattnerite on it. One of our vehicles almost got stuck in the gravel on the way out to the site.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2011 02:11AM by David Lowe.

I have to apologize for posting micros here, as they certainly are not the best of California. Still, they are of mineralogical interest, all being found in the general vicinity of the Benitoite Gem Mine.


Apatite - Headwaters of the San Benito River, San Benito Co., CA


Gold with Magnetite and Dolomite - Christie Mine, Fresno Co., CA


Magnetite (unusual cubic habit) - Headwaters of the San Benito River, San Benito Co., CA


Strontiojoaquinite - Clear Creek, San Benito Co., Ca


Strontiojoaquinite - Clear Creek, San Benito Co., Ca


Joaquinite - Clear Creek, San Benito Co., Ca


Edoylerite with Cinabar and Mercury - Clear Creek, San Benito Co., Ca


Andradite, var. Topazolite - Headwaters of the San Benito River, San Benito Co., CA


Andradite, var. Topazolite - Headwaters of the San Benito River, San Benito Co., CA

Gene

Don't have to apologise Gene!

Gene, Nice photos, thanks for sharing them here.

Garnet, Comsumnes River Copper MIne, Calaveras Co., California. Measures 6 x 5 x 2.5 cm.



Uvarovite 2 Near Jacksonville, Tuolumne Co., California. Measures 5 x 4 x 1.5 cm.




Cinnabar, Helen Mine, Lake Co., California. Measures 5 x3 3 x 2.5 cm.

Here is something a little larger from my collection. A chunk of material from the Hale Creek Mine in Trinity County, California that was given to me by a friend in the BAM group. It was almost completely oxidized black when I started. I was probably too aggressive with the Nitric Acid removing the Calcite, but I think it came out nice anyway. Two close-up views. The crystals in the main vug reflect well, but aren't as gemmy as the ones on the edge. I love the contrast of the black surface with the pink Inesite crystals. That's all that I can post right now. I hope everyone has a great Holiday and a very Happy New Year!





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/2011 03:32AM by David Lowe.

Great color on the Inesite David.

Colemanite, Thompson Mine, Death Valley National Park, Inyo Co., California. Measures 14 x 14 x 11 cm. Largest crystal face measures 10 cm across. Collected back in the 1970's.

Linerite and Caledonite, Blue Bell Mine, San Bernadino Co., California.

Quartz crystal growing on a bed of Epidote crystals New Melones Res., Calaveras Co., California.


Axinite crystals capping an Epidote crystal, Consumnes River Mine, Calaveras Co., California.

Here's a solid group of jack straw stibnite crystals with no matrix from the Mc Laughlin Gold Mine, Napa Co., California. Measures 12 x 12 x 8 cm.

what exquisite timing, Jay! Here's an old acquaintance of yours, on a smaller scale than the one in your hand up above!

McLaughlin Mine, Knoxville, Knoxville District, Napa Co., California, USA
Stibnite and dolomite

2.7 x 1.5 x 1.2 cm

Thanks for the great thread!

Maggie, It's the best of the hobby trading self collected minerals with other field collectors who self collect minerals. Thanks for sharing a photo of an old friend!!

Barite
Palos Verdes peninsula, Los Angeles Co., California
8.9 x 6 cm

© A&M

AM, Nice barite, and a stunning photo as usual!

Cinnabar Included Quartz, Mc Laughlin Mine, Napa Co., California. Measures 6 x4.5 x 4 cm.


Kyanite , Funeral Mtns., Death Valley, California. Measures 5.5 x 4.5 x 3 cm.


Albite on Ankerite, Carson Hill Gold Mine, Calaveras Co., California. Measures 6.5 x 4.5 x 2 cm.

Solid Cinnabar Showing shearing Movement, New Idria, San Benito Co., California. Measures 5 x 3.5 x 2 cm.


Cinnabar, New Almaden Quicksiver Mine Santa Clara Co., California. Measures 5 x 3 x 3 cm.


Montroydite, Native Mercury, Socrates Mine, Sonoma Co., California. Measures 5 x 3 x 2.5 cm.

Love this thread!

This is a short crystal, collected two days ago on the shortest day of the year. It has been cold and windy but sunny and dry so access to the west side of Peterson Mountain is good. This crystal shows a faint phantom outlined in part by inclusions of small, pale green, silvery sericite crystals. many of the sericite inclusions appear to have small air bubbles around them.



Quartz with sericite inclusions, west side of Peterson Range, North of Halleluyah Junction, Lassen County, California

Cheers,

Steve

This thread, and a few of the others (Down Under, Arizona, Canada, etc) has been really good for me. I'm taking some time to go back and enjoy specimens that I haven't looked at in a long time...


Regards
Steve

I have just added this monazite photo and was surprised to find that there were no other Californian monazite photos on Mindat. Two photos, front and back...



Regards
Steve

Steve: That is a gorgeous monazite crystal! How big is it?

Here is a nice gold in quartz from Eagle's Nest. The dealer-supplied label included the notation "19 g," and I assume that is an estimated gold content. The specimen is 7.8 X 8.4 X 6.0 cm, and the gold extends well below the surface and into the quartz. This was in the Gary Grenier collection.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2011 01:04AM by Norman King.

Hi Norman. The monazite is 9mm long (sorry, had to click on the link to see the measurement).

Regards
Steve