53D-PDFQuartz (Var: Smoky Quartz) SiO₂

Black Cap Mountain, North Conway, Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire, USA

Dimensions: 15 cm x 8.8 cm x 7.2 cm

Smoky quartz from the upper workings of Black Cap Mountain. 15 x 8.8 x 7.2 cm. Ex Tom Penney collection. Henry Minot photo & collection.

X13-V7JQuartz SiO₂ , Quartz (Var: Amethyst) SiO₂

Deer Hill, Stow, Oxford County, Maine, USA

Dimensions: 24 cm x 16 cm x 15.5 cm

I collected this beauty on 21 September, 1998. The week before my collecting partner found a 3 kilo Amethyst and I told him my next trip up I was going to find larger one. I pointed out a spot and told him my one was there. Of course after collecting at this locality for several decades and not finding a good one I was really just “blowing smoke” but then it turned out I was not. The next week on my day off I hiked in and started at digging in another area, after a while of not finding any thing aka “track soup “I went to the spot I pointed out. Imagine my excitement on my first rake(we use potato rakes in this area) when the largest face appeared. What a good day!!! As a side note since that day I have never found another good crystal at Deer Hill.
Size; 24 x 16 x 15.5 cm.
Collected by and in the collection of Tom Klinepeter

A47-Y8FTopaz Al₂(SiO₄)(F,OH)₂

Government pit, Albany, Carroll County, New Hampshire, USA

Dimensions: 13 mm x 13 mm x 11 mm

A flawless topaz crystal from the Government Pit. 13 x 13 x 11 mm. Henry Minot photo & collection.

URP-VAJFluorapatite Ca₅(PO₄)₃F

Pulsifer Quarry & Dionne extension, West Mount Apatite Mining District, Auburn, Androscoggin County, Maine, USA

Dimensions: 1.3 cm x 1 cm x 0.9 cm

1.3 x 1.0 x 0.9 cm. This sharp, glassy and translucent, hexagonal fluorapatite crystal has beautiful violet color and is from the well-known 1971 find at this locality. Classic and rare material. Weighs 9.99 carats.


Mindat.org Photo of the Day - 4th Apr 2012

Another insight in a big geode

Catalán Grande Quarry, Catalán Grande, Artigas Department, Uruguay

This is a special miracle, a very big spacious cave with high-grade amethyst and two wonderful calcites, covered with dust.
The very big geode, approximately 3 meters long, remains still in the tunnel until it is ready for excavating.
Size: Photo field of view approximately 80 cm to 90 cm width; the calcites are approximately 20 cm and 30 cm high.
Photo February 2012.

Mindat.org Photo of the Day - 2nd Dec 2013

RE3-Y8GQuartz (Var: Amethyst) SiO₂ , Quartz SiO₂

Saltman Amethyst locality, Sweden, Oxford County, Maine, USA

Dimensions: 16.9 cm x 12.8 cm x 4.5 cm

16.9 x 12.8 x 4.5 cm. Beautiful, glassy, variable blush-purple amethyst crystals to about 3.0 cm are aesthetically clustered on the large quartz crystal covered quartz plate. This fine specimen is from the late 1980s finds at the Saltman/Plumbago Amethyst Locality near the Camp Encore kids camp. Ex. Charlie Key Collection.

CY6-66WPerthite (Var: Cryptoperthite)

Almenningen Quarry, Tvedalen, Larvik, Vestfold, Norway

Microcline specimen ("Cryptoperthite") with nice schillerizing effect (especially when wet and when lights hit it from the "right" direction) and a cut stone of "gemmy" moonstone. This variety is opalescent and translucent, and occur in some of the quarries in the area, in strongly hydrothermal altered pegmatites.
Size of cut stone: 1 cm
Photo & collection: Atle Michalsen

V3D-H81Fluorite CaF₂ , Calcite CaCO₃

Minerva No. 1 Mine, Ozark-Mahoning group, Cave-In-Rock Mining Sub-District, Hardin County, Illinois, USA

Dimensions: 13 cm x 9 cm x 8.6 cm

13.0 x 9.0 x 8.6 cm. A fine, old-style fluorite specimen from the classic Illinois mines. This one ended up in Europe decades ago. It features intense, saturated purple color with sharp phantoms inside. The sharp cubic fluorites are accented by sharp scalenohedral calcites like little flowers on the surface, front and back. Ex. Klaus Neumann Collection. Joe Budd photo.

CJL-G20Fluorite CaF₂

Erongo Mountains, Karibib Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia

Dimensions: 11 cm x 9 cm x 4.5 cm

11.0 x 9.0 x 4.5 cm. Found in about 2008, these so-called "alien phantoms" fluorite crystals made a big impact on the market. Only a few small pockets were found, and then the style has not been seen since. This is a cluster featuring an unusually elongated, sharp crystal that shows dramatic purple phantoms in the corners of a richly saturated green core. It is complete around the display face, though is not complete in back. Joe Budd photo.

W7M-EQFFluorite CaF₂

Redstone, Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire, USA

Dimensions: 10 cm x 7.2 cm x 5.7 cm

Fluorite from New Hampshire. Ex Ernie Schlichter. The old label reads from: "near Red Stone Quarry, Conway, New Hampshire". 10 x 7.2 x 5.7 cm overall. Henry Minot photo & collection.