Mineral Gallery

	Item PS1 - SIDERITE - Crabtree Quarry, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) a fine example of the rhombohedral, olive-green siderites from the Crabtree. This specimen also has minor associations of calcite and albite. Condition is very good. $29.
	Item PS2 - QUARTZ with Mud inclusions - US 64 Bypass, Hiddenite, Alexander County, North Carolina; a nice grouping of the typical "odd-shaped" quartz crystals from Hiddenite, with many being doubly-terminated, and hundreds of crystal faces. This piece was collected in May of 1992, when the Rt 64 bypass was being dug up right next to the emerald areas in Hiddenite (it was a truly wonderful experience to collect there during this time!). This specimen was collected by Russ Holshouser, and from his (self-named) Russ' Pocket. Dimensions are 2 3/4" x 1 1/8" x 2 1/2", and specimen is in fine condition (crystallized on all sides!). $130.
	Item PS3 - CORUNDUM - Chunky Gal Mountain, Clay County, North Carolina; a group of deep-pink corundum crystals from Chunk Gal. Of the Chunk Gal pieces I've come across, pretty much all are matrix pieces, so this (as a stand-alone) is quite nice. Largest crystal (center) tapers at top, and specimen measures 1 1/4" x 7/8" x 1 1/2". Condition is good. $79.
	Item PS4 - PYRITE and QUARTZ - Spruce Claim, King County, Washington; a well-formed, 1 1/4" x 3/4" x 1", elongated pyrite cube has clear, terminated quartz crystals growing on it. This is typical of the Spruce Claim pyrites (MANY of them were on the market in the 1980's; some really classic pieces!). Condition is very good. A Kenny Gay specimen, which he obtained from M. Phantom Minerals at the show in Hickory, NC, in March of 1987 for $70. $105.
	Item PS5 - BRUCEITE - Killa Saifullah, Balochistan, Pakistan; a fine bruceite, with the botryoidal look, deep lemon-yellow color, and nice translucency. Dimensions are 3 1/2" x 1 1/2" X 1/2", and specimen has gone from the collection of Miguel David Martinez to Fabre Minerals to Kenny Gay (and on to me). Previous labels are included. $245.
	Item PS6 - Petrified PINE CONE - Patagonia, Argentina; a good sample of the silicified seed cone of a 120 million year old Araucaria (Miribilis) tree. Dimensions are 1 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 1", and condition is very good. $75.
	Item PS7 - SPODUMENE - Foote Mine, Cleveland County, North Carolina; a thick, prismatic, terminated spodumene crystal from the classic Foote locality. Crystal is 2 1/4" high and 1" wide. Condition is good. $55.
	Item PS8 - TOURMALINE in SMOKY QUARTZ - Skardu District, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan; a wide, fist-sized smoky quartz crystal is heavily included with black schorl tourmaline needles. Quartz has muscovite mica books attached, and specimen measures 4 1/4" x 2 1/2" x 3 1/4", and condition is good. $225.
	Item PS9 - AMETHYST - Gnat Ridge, Blue Valley, Macon County, North Carolina; a fist-sized cluster of amethyst crystals from a not-so-common locale. Specimen was dug in 2000 by John Denny, sold to Phillip Potter, and then to Dennis Herman (I purchased it when buying Dennis' NC minerals). Dimensions are 3 1/4" x 2 1/4" x 3 3/4", and condition is very good. Note that the "brown area" in the lower left is a mud inclusion. $195.
	Item PS10 - SPESSARTINE GARNET on SMOKY QUARTZ - Tongbei, Fujian Province, China; an aesthetic specimen of spessartines perched on smoky quartz crystals. Dimensions are 3 1/2" x 2" x 1 3/4", and condition is very good. Ex Danny Jones inventory (Firebird Minerals), and he acquired it from Michael Jacobs. $150.
	Item PS11 - FERROAXINITE - Puyva Deposit, near Saranpaul, Polar Ural Mountains, Tyumen Oblast, Russia; flattened, iron-rich axinite "wedges" are clustered into a 1 3/4" x 3/4" x 3/8" specimen. This piece was also purchased from M. Phantom Minerals in 1994 (for $120), and condition is very good. $85.
	Item PS12 - QUARTZ (sceptre) - Royal Scepter Mine, Petersen Mountain, Hallelujah Junction, Washoe County, Nevada; a light-smoky crystal (2 1/2" tall and 1 1/2" wide) has grown on top of another smoky quartz crystal (the "seed crystal"). Specimen measures 4 1/8" tall ande 2" wide. Condition is good. $125.
	Item PS13 - ANATASE on QUARTZ - Shingletrap Mountain, Montgomery County, North Carolina; a clear quartz crystal - 1 1/4" tall and 5/8" wide - has numerous anatase crystals growing up it's front and sides. Condition is good. $110.
	Item PS14 - AZURITE - Siberia, Russia; (label notes only Siberia, but I believe this to be from the Saranovskoe Mine) an inch-wide seam in a 1 3/4" x 1 1/4" x 1 3/4" matrix piece has deep-blue azurites in it. Ex Kenny Gay piece, and condition is good. $59.
	Item PS15 - GALENA with CHALCOPYRITE- Tri-State area, Missouri; a cluster of etched galena cubes, the largest of which is just under 1" to an edge, has minor chalcopyrite growing on it. Full measurements are 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1 1/4", and condition is very good. $95.
	Item PS16 - PYRITE and MUSCOVITE MICA - *North American Emerald Mine*, Hiddenite, Alexander County, North Carolina; (I've note this location as NAEM because it was the same property that Jamie was working until recently, and Kenny's label specifies this. It could just as easily be labeled Rist, but it was found before that). Kenny Gay purchased this from Terry Ledford in December of 2011, and it came with a "Colonel J. H. Pratt" collection label. It's a 3 1/2" x 1 3/4" x 2 1/4" "ball" of small, crystallized pyrite with muscovite mica protruding from it in various spots. Definitely a classic piece. Condition is good. $200.
	Item PS17 - PREHNITE - Foote Mine, Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina; yellow/green, semi-transparant, lustrous crystals of prehnite cover the top of a 1" x 2 3/4" matrix piece. A nice sample of Foote prehnite! $45.
	Item PS18 - KYANITE on QUARTZ- Balsam Gap, Buncombe County, North Carolina; (also known as the "Thomas Mine") a fine NC kyanite - a thick kyanite crystal, nearly 2" long, sits suspended on top of a white quartz piece. Ex Kenny Gay specimen. $75.
	Item PS19 - RUTILE - Hiddenite, Alexander County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) a relatively-large, twinned rutile crystal. Condition is very good. Ex Rob Whaley piece. $65.
	Item PS20 - DIOPTASE - Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo; a few dozen deep, emerald-green dioptase crystals grow on a 2 1/4" x 1 1/2" x 2 1/4" matrix piece. From a lot picked up at the 2024 Tucson Show. Condition is good. $85.
	Item PS21 - BERYL - Ray Mine, Yancey County, North Carolina; one of the best Ray Mine beryl specimens I've come across, from the Kenny Gay collection. This one features eight beryl crystals partially embedded in a smoky quartz matrix, along with associated mica books. Specimen measures 4 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 2 1/2", and longest beryl is 1 1/2" long. Condition is good. $500.
	Item PS22 - TOURMALINE - Nuristan, Pakistan; a deep blue-green, terminated, gem-quality elbaite tourmaline grouping. Specimen was purchased from Bob Lauf a few years back, and measures 1" x 3/4" x 1 1/2". Condition is fine. $345.
	Item PS23 - EMERALD - Adams Farm, Hiddenite, Alexander County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) a fine Hiddenite emerald - terminated and roughly 7/8" long, with two smaller emeralds, joined at the sides, growing out of the top! I purposely took the picture from a side angle to better show the top. An interesting specimen, from the collection of Kenny Gay. Condition is fine. $300.
	Item PS24 - SAPPHIRINE - Mason Mine, Macon County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) not to be confused with a "sapphire", this mineral (magnesium aluminum silicate) is a relatively rare, dark-blue crystal; in this piece it's exposed in a small piece of matrix. Crystal is roughly 1/2" in diameter, and condition is good. $75.
	Item PS25 - MICA - Boiling Springs, Cleveland County, North Carolina; thick, hexagonal mica books form a fine, 1 1/4" x 3/4" x 1/2" cluster. This is one of the "chromian mica" specimens, and it exhibits the root-beer-coloring when the books are lit and viewed through the sides. $58.
	Item PS26 - SMOKY QUARTZ - Beckley, West Virginia; an odd-shaped quartz growth, with light clay inclusions as was common in pieces from this location (I traded for one maybe 30 years ago for myself). This specimen measures roughly 1 1/2" x 1" x 1", and the crystal is quite transparant, has deep smoky "wisps" throughout, and minor etching to some faces. Condition is good. Ex Dot Bliss (Little Bear Rock Shop) inventory. $46.
	Item PS27 - EPIDOTE - Bou Agra, Imilchil, Morocco; radiating sprays of green epidote form a 1 1/4" x 1" x 1/2" specimen. High-lustre helps this specimen stand out. Condition is very good. $35.
	Item PS28 - MUSCOVITE and QUARTZ - North American Emerald Mine, Hiddenite, Alexander County, North Carolina; a grouping of muscovite mica books has a clear quartz crystal growing off to one side. Dimensions are 2" x 7/8" x 1 1/2", with quartz crystal being 1/2" long. A specimen I actually sold for $20 in 2014. Condition is good. $25.
	Item PS29 - RHODONITE- North Mine, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia; a terminated, thick, deep-red rhodonite with a minor asociation of galena (right side and back) best describes this specimen. A fine piece, originally from the M. Phantom Minerals stock (Chris' handwritten label comes with specimen), and purchased by Kenny Gay in 1997 for $125. Dimensions are 1 3/4" x 1 1/4" x 1 3/4", and rhodonite is almost 1" thick. Condition is good. $200.
	Item PS30 - ORTHOCLASE - Rowan County, North Carolina; a fully crystallized ("Carlsbad Twin") orthoclase crystal - 3 1/2" wide, 1 5/8" deep, and 2 3/4" high. Specimen is in good condition. Ex Kenny Gay collection piece. $70.
	Item PS31 - ANATASE in QUARTZ - Shingletrap Mine, Uhwarrie Mountains, Montgomery County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) a clear, terminated quartz crystal has anatase crystals growing both on the front and inside of the crystal. Condition is good. $45.
	Item PS32 - HYALITE OPAL (blue) - Chalk Mountain, Spruce Pine, North Carolina; one of the "blue hyalites" from the Spruce Pine area. A "slightly smaller" sample - I do have larger ones as well - measuring 3 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 2". Condition is good. $55.
	Item PS33 - TURGITE - Crowders Mountain, Gaston County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) a colorful turgite, with the typical rounded growths as normally seen in Crowder pieces. Condition is good. $45.
	Item PS34 - GOLD in QUARTZ - Cotton Patch Mine, Stanly County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) a chunk of white quartz, just under 3/4" long, has gold exposed on it. I remember panning at this location many years ago, when it was open. This is a good specimen from this mine! $40.
	Item PS35 - SMOKY QUARTZ - Reel Mine, Lincoln County, North Carolina; a fine smoky from the classic Reel Mine! Smokies are not nearly as common as the amethyst at the Reel, and this one is nice. It's actually a cluster of deep-chocolate smokies, with a glassy finish, measuring 1 1/2" x 1 3/4" x 2 1/4". Previously in the Dennis Herman collection. $115.
	Item PS36 - TOURMALINE in QUARTZ- Cruzeiro Mine, Sao Jose da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil; a clear, doubly-terminated quartz has a green elbaite(tourmaline) crystal growing out of it. Specimen measures 2" x 1 1/8" x 1", and condition is good. $42.
	Item PS37 - BROOKITE on QUARTZ - Pretty Girl Mine, Montgomery County, North Carolina; a sharp, semi-transparant brookite has grown on a cluster of quartz crystals. This is the same location that provides us with anatase on quartz, and the brookites weren't as common a find. Specimen measures 2" x 2 1/8" x 1 1/2", and was found by Laurie Adams in 2021 (ex Kenny Gay piece, and he paid $120). $90.
	Item PS38 - LIMONITE - Palms Appartments, Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina; a "very familiar" specimen, as I dug this one! A memorable trip with the late Bob Crocker. It's a fully-crystallized limonite piece (all sides; bottom too), and actually shows a place where the pyrite has not fully altered/pseudomorphed to limonite. Measurements are 2 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 1 1/2", and piece is in very good shape. $90.
	Item PS39 - BARITE - Muddy Creek, Rio Grande County, Colorado; blocky, well-formed, creme-colored barites are grouped in a 3" x 2" x 1 1/2" cluster. Specimen is mounted on a thick plastic base (removeable), and condition is very good. $145.
	Item PS40 - KYANITE in QUARTZ - Thomas Mine (Balsam Gap Mine), Buncombe County, North Carolina; a thick kyanite, with a nice blue color, is exposed in a quartz matrix. Kyanite is roughly 1 3/4" in diameter, with full measurements of 2 1/8" x 2" x 2". Condition is good. $49.
	Item PS41 - AMETHYST - Reel Mine, Lincoln County, North Carolina; a large cluster of deep-purple amethyst from the Reel Mine, showing the "parallel growth" as noted in Sinkankas' "Mineralogy" book (an EXCELLENT book for those of you who enjoy a very educational, easy-to-read book!). This specimen shows terminations on both top and bottom, and measures 4 1/2" x 3" x 5". There's also a sceptre growth (apparent from back, as displayed). There's a spot or two where there's still minor matrix attached, and condition is very good. $800.
	Item PS42 - QUARTZ with Mud and Smoky inclusions - Oscar Hefner Farm, Cooksville, Catawba County, North Carolina; a beautiful mud crystal, with fine glassy-clear portions and great aesthetics. This specimen was a part of the Kenny Gay collection, and measures 1 7/8" x 2" x 1 1/4" as displayed. $195.
	Item PS43 - RHODOCROSITE - N'Chwaning Mine #2, Kuruman District, South Africa; nodules of pink, radiating rhodo crystals cover the top surface of a manganese-rich, 1 1/2" x 2" x 1 1/4" matrix piece. Crystals exhibit a high lustre, and specimen is in fine condition. $140.
	Item PS44 - FLUORAPATITE - Foote Mine, Cleveland County, North Carolina; a 1 3/8" x 1 1/2" x 3/4" matrix piece has fluorapatite and quartz on it. Of notice is the larger, maroon-colored fluorapatite that's a little over 1/4" across. Condition is good. $85.
	Item PS45 - ANALCIME - Benton County, Oregon; (quite possibly from the Two-Hug Quarry, but not noted on the existing label) a grouping of lustrous, translucent, rhombohedral analcime crystals sit up on a small piece of matrix. Crystals are sharp and up to 3/4" in diameter, with total dimensions at 1 1/8" x 1 1/8". Condition is very good. $45.
	Item PS46 - APOPHYLLITE - Cornwall, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania; (thumbnail) well-formed, glassy, tabular crystals of apophyllite from an old locale. This specimen, obtained from the Kenny Gay collection, comes with old labels from Ward's Natural Science Company (June 1955), the Ralph Merrill Collection, and Weinrich Minerals. Condition is very good. $42.
	Item PS47 - COLUMBITE - Ray Mine, Yancey County, North Carolina; (thumbnail) a sharp, well-formed columbite from the Ray. $45.
	Item PS48 - DESCLOIZITE - Berg Aukus, Otjozondjupa, Namibia; a beautiful, high-lustre, specimen of deep orange/red descloizite. Specimen barely needs any light at all to "glitter"! Dimensions are 2 1/8" x 1 1/4" x 3/4", and condition is fine. $85.
	Item PS49 - FLUORAPATITE with EOSPHORITE, PYRITE and ALBITE- Foote Mine, Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina; (any interest in a nice Foote Mine combination piece?) another great specimen from the Kenny Gay collection; something he acquired from Eric Fritz in 2010. Dimensions are 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3/4", and condition is good. $49.
	Item PS50 - QUARTZ with CHLORITE inclusions- Rougemont Quarry, Durham County, North Carolina; clear quartz crystals lay almost perpindicular to quartz crystals that have grown nearly flat against a thin matrix piece. Some of the crystals to the far right (as pictured) have chlorite both in and on them. Measurements are 3 1/2" x 2 1/4" x 2", and condition is very good. Specimen came from the Kenny Gay Collection, and was a gift from the late Bob Crocker. $75.