Best Of California Minerals

Perovskite, San Benito Co., photo width 4mm...


Regards
Steve

I have only a few specimens from California. I purchased this one from Seibel Minerals, in the previous century during my last trip to Tucson. I remembered after I bought it that I had a major task on my hands to get it home in one piece. I wrapped each crystal as carefully as possible with lots and lots of toilet paper. It has survived pretty well even though Long Island is a fairly humid environment. Tincalonite after Borax, Baker Mine, Boron, California. It measures approx. 12.00 cm x 12.00 cm, and the largest crystal is approx. 7.00 cm long.

Great stuff everyone!!

Elbaite on Quartz, Pala District, San Diego Co., California. Measures 7 x 5 x 4.5 cm.

Pyrargyrite,Miargyrite,Native Gold,Mc Laughlin Gold Mine,Napa Co., California. Measures 9 x 6 x 1 cm.

Electrum In Chalcedony,. Mc Laughlin Gold Mine, Napa Co., California. Measures 10 x 7.5 x 3 cm. The Electrum is the solid brown colored vein that's been split by a later deposit of chalcedony.

Celestine, Colemanite

Billie Mine, Black Mts, Furnace Creek District, Death Valley National Park, Inyo Co., California, USA

99 x 74 x 62 mm overall. Large clear Colemanite crystals, measuring up to 36 mm are mostly covered by white doubly-terminated Celestite crystals to 13 mm. This is from a single pocket that produced only a few of these combos, and is one of the best from the pocket. Collected in 1981 by Dana Prevost, a mine geologist. These are nearly impossible to photograph.

Colemanite, Celestine

Billie Mine, Black Mts, Furnace Creek District, Death Valley National Park, Inyo Co., California, USA

110 x 101 x 64 mm overall. Large clear Colemanite crystals, measuring up to 60 mm are partly covered by white doubly-terminated Celestite crystals to 21 mm. This is from a single pocket that produced only a few of these combos, and is one of the best from the pocket. Collected in 1981 by Dana Prevost, a mine geologist.


.

that is amazing. very beautiful. id love to collect out in california some year....

Adularia On Quartz, Inyo Mtns., Inyo Co., California. Largest crystal is 4 cm.

Is this a secret locality or is no more accurate locality known?

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

Rock, That's all the information I have on the locality.

Stone Canyon Jasper, Parkfield, California. Measures 16 x 9 x 8 cm.


Tumble Polished Stone Canyon Jasper,Parkfield,California.

I've had this strontionite since 1967, labeled simply "California" as there was no additional information with it. The twinned crystals are etched, roughly prismatic and have a prominent basil pinacoid. The back of the specimen is a flat surface as if it formed in a seam or on a flat cavity wall. There are traces of brownish material, possibly mud or clay, trapped in both surfaces of the specimen. 8x5x1.5 cm.

Pemberton (1983) lists only a few locations for strontionite in California. This specimen does not fit well with any descriptions given.



Cheers!

Steve

I am wondering that nobody has posted a classic Morganite from Pala.........
Martin

Here you go Martin,

Here are a few Morganites....

Beryl ( var. Morganite ) on Albite
White Queen Mine, Pala District, Hiriart Mt., San Diego County, California, USA
55 x 50 mm overall; 40 mm Morganite





Beryl ( var. Morganite ) on Albite with Lepidolite
Blue Lady Mine, Warner Springs District, Chihuahua Valley, San Diego County, California, USA
87 x 80 mm overall; 57 mm Morganite




Beryl ( var. Morganite ) Muscovite and Albite
Elizabeth R. Mine, Pala District, Chief Mountain, Pala, San Diego County, California, USA
70 x 59 x 50 mm overall



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Eric and Bob,
I wish I would also have such a nice Morganite from Pala! Thank you for the pics.
Martin

Native Gold,Galena, Pyrite,Champion Mine West Point, Calaveras Co., California. Measures 7.5 x 5.5 x 3.5 cm.

Altaite with Calaverite, Carson Hill Gold Mine, Calaveras Co., California. Measures 2.5 x 2 x 6 cm. We collected about a flat of this material from several knife blade thick parallel veins that could be followed up two bench levels before disappearing.

Ribbon Agate,McLaughlin Mine, Knoxville, Knoxville District, Napa Co., California. The largest specimen measures 12 x 12 x 6 cm. Hundreds of thousands of tons of this agate was stripped from the top of the ore body and buried and the ground was reclaimed. The mushroom piece has been polished and the other pieces are rough cut only. It's a real shame that none of this material was saved since you could have started a whole lapidary industry with it.