Barite from South Australia

Here is a Barite i've had in my collection for many years from South Australia

Could anybody give it a valuation

In excellent condition about 4inches x 4 inches

Thats a beautiful specimen. I would estimate $500 to $1000, perhaps more if you can find the right buyer.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

I think Rock is right on, but that price range assumes the specific locality is know. Maybe 100-200 without a more specific locality.

Howdy all,

It's from the Oraparinna area of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.
Most likely; Dunbar Barite Deposit (Dunbar Mine; Linke's Load; Appealinna Barite; ML 3413; ML 3414), Oraparinna homestead, Bunkers Range, South Flinders Ranges, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia
This is the locality where the majority of fossicking and collecting of specimens has occurred; the Oraparinna Mine is a major working mine and has for the most part always been restricted access.

I would say Steve would be closer to the mark this time. These are still quite easy to source here in Australia and quite a bit larger than this as well. That said it is a nice specimen and very much a good example of the locality. Keep hold of it, it will get more valuable with age, but don't expect it to get up to the price of similar specimens from other well known localities around the world in any hurry.

As a note they can range from completely clear, thru yellow to dark orange and red (often from coatings) from this area, some of the orange and red ones even getting to the point of being in no way translucent, a trait which is not found in the other colours.
Just to clarify something, there is massive white baryte there which is the main ore body mined, this of course is opaque and not translucent either.
They are also at times found coated in manganese/hematite/goethite, which is near impossible to remove without physical means, which it turns destroys the crystal surface.

I hope this helps some.

Cheers Mark.

We will never have all the answers, only more questions!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2012 01:19AM by Mark Willoughby.

Thanks, everyone,

It does have the old Oraparinna label