Russ Rizzo's Photo Gallery

WR8-U36Elbaite Na(Li_1.5Al_1.5)Al₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃(OH)

Himalaya Mine, Gem Hill, Mesa Grande Mining District, San Diego County, California, USA

Dimensions: 5.1 cm x 2.6 cm x 2.6 cm

A very clear elbaite crystal with reverse watermelon coloration (green core and red-pink outer rind). I backlit this specimen when I photographed it in order to better illustrate the color. This specimen was part of my collection and was awarded 1^st prize for best tourmaline from San Diego County at the 2000 San Diego County Fair.

PRR-GWHBeryl (Var: Aquamarine) Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

São José da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Dimensions: 4 cm x 4 cm x 3.5 cm

A very gemmy and lustrous crystal of aquamarine that has been etched. This specimen is from a small find made in the summer of 2002. The pocket yielded 34 aquamarine crystals ranging from barely etched to almost completely dissolved, showing only remnants of the original crystal faces. Being a great fan of etched minerals, I couldn't keep myself from purchasing the whole pocket.

LPG-8E1Calcite CaCO₃

Bellecroix plateau, Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, Ile-de-France, France

Dimensions: 3.6 cm x 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm

A cluster of calcite that has been included by grains of sand from a classic French mineral locality. Fontainebleau, France is a noted locality for sculptural specimens of calcite that are included by white sand.

PJ7-3LQBaryte BaSO₄ , Fluorite CaF₂

Elmwood Mine, Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee, USA

Dimensions: 7.8 cm x 7.3 cm x 7.5 cm

Barite crystals on fluorite on matrix of dolostone.

GDQ-5WJCalcite CaCO₃

Sahara Desert, North Africa

Dimensions: 5.3 cm x 3.6 cm x 2.5 cm

A Calcite specimen that is heavily included by sand.

EWC-KV4Goethite α-Fe³⁺O(OH)

Filón Sur open pit, Tharsis Mines, Tharsis, Alosno, Huelva, Andalusia, Spain

Dimensions: 7.8 mm x 5.1 mm x 3.6 mm

Goethite in a stalactitic-botryoidal growth with intense, very bright, iridescent metallic reflections. The colors vary between blue, blue-green and red and are more pastel than usual for this find.

068-998Quartz (Var: Chalcedony) SiO₂ , Hematite Fe₂O₃

Valle de las Plumas, Las Plumas, Mártires Department, Chubut Province, Argentina

Dimensions: 6.8 cm x 5.6 cm x 4.5 cm

A cluster of aragonite crystals have been pseudomorphed by chalcedony, included by hematite which gives it its reddish tone. So what you have is chalcedony in the exact form of the prior aragonite crystals, having preserved their form perfectly.

U43-ADKCopper Cu

Coro Coro, Pacajes Province, La Paz, Bolivia

Dimensions: 6.8 cm x 4.8 cm x .3 cm

Most people are familiar with the copper pseudomorphs after aragonite from this locality, but to find non-pseudomorphic native copper is rather uncommon. This large sheet of copper has a blue-green patina and a few areas with the copper exposed.

3R1-N3XQuartz SiO₂ , Hematite Fe₂O₃

Peary Land, Northeast Greenland National Park, Greenland

Dimensions: 5 cm x 1.9 cm x 1.3 cm

This transparent Quartz prism has a jacket of Hematite covering three of its faces which viewed through the clear side lends it a steel-blue color. the notches on its side are not damage, but rather modifications of the crystal face.

0R9-H13Sulphohalite Na₆(SO₄)₂FCl

Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA

Dimensions: 2.5 cm x 2.2 cm x 2.1 cm

Group of octahedral sulphohalite crystals.