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We were happy to be able to get small lots of
other borate minerals from the Boron Open Pit to offer to Club members. We
picked out a few nice borax crystals (already altered to
tincalconite of course,) as specimens about 1" by 1" for $4 each, and
some nice small clusters up to 1½" by 1" for $9. We also received
three specimens of single crystals up to 1½" in length for $9. These
latter specimens are of borax that recrystallized in the thickener after
originally being crushed. We also were amazed to see some borax stalactites,
altered to tincalconite of course! These were found a year or so ago, in one of
the old tunnels of the original underground mines. From time to time during
normal mining operations, springs of water are opened, and some of the old
tunnels are temporarily flooded. These borax stalactites evidently formed on an
old piece of equipment, precipitating from borax-rich water as it slowly
vacated. According to old-timers, this was only the second time such stalactites
have been found, and the first time they were collected. Being so unusual, they
are a little on the pricey side, and right now, they are packed in with all our
Tucson material, but we should have access to them for next month’s special
list. And if you can’t wait until then, call! And, if you’ve fallen in love
with colemanite and want a larger piece, we have some wonderful specimens
up to 4" by 4" for $60 and even larger, up to 6" by 5" for
$90.
As the write-up mentions, we hope to feature the
mineral kernite in the future, so we are waiting to see if that works out. But
we did get a nice lot of ulexite, better known as "TV Rock."
Although ulexite is plentiful at the mine, it is rarely found in pieces clear
enough to transmit light, and most good quality pieces are on the smaller side,
too small for us to feature in the Club. So we have polished pieces now: Small
pieces up to ½" by 1" for $2; medium up to 1½" by 1¾" for
$4; larger pieces up to 2" by 2" for $6.
FEATURING DIAMONDS IN MARCH
As mentioned in the
newsletter, we are very excited about featuring the hardest, and also one of the
most loved and valued minerals on Earth, in March. We gave a lot of thought as
to the best and most practical way to send them to you, and finally decided that
the best way would be to send them in little gel caps in cotton-filled jewelry
boxes. This will make them easier to handle, store, and hopefully, not to lose.
We’re also going to send everybody one of the magnifier boxes we have offered
from time to time, as seen in the drawing. If you wish, you can mount your
diamond in the box for better viewing. A little bit of mineral tack, like the
kind we offer, will do the trick, or for something more permanent, you could
even use a hot glue gun.
We picked up extras of both Junior and Deluxe-size diamonds, so any who may
want one of both can order one. And since diamond crystals are seen for sale
relatively infrequently, we bought some larger specimens for any who might like
to take advantage of this opportunity to add a bigger specimen to their
collection, as outlined below.
JUNIOR-SIZE DIAMONDS The Junior-size diamonds are metallic grey in color.
They are natural crystals with a rounded dodecahedral crystal form, similar to
the form commonly found on garnets. On average, they about 2mm (.080") in
size, and weigh about 1/6 carat each. We can offer additional Junior-size
diamonds with the magnifier box for $7 each
DELUXE-SIZE DIAMONDS The Deluxe-size diamonds are also natural diamond
crystals, white to yellow to yellowish-green to light grey in color, about 3mm
to 3.5mm (.120"-.140") and weigh on average about 1/3 carat each. They
are more cubic in form, many with some slightly rounded edges and fascinating
growth patterns on the faces, highly visible with a 10x loupe. Junior members
may order a Deluxe-size specimen in lieu of their Junior-size diamond for an
additional $15.50, or any Club member may order additional Deluxe-size diamonds
for $20 each.
LARGER SIZE DIAMONDS– SIZE 1 We have 6 diamond crystals in this size
range. They also are little cubic crystals, about 4-4.5mm (.160-.180", over
c") in diameter, and
weight about 1½ carats on average, and will sell for $75 each, less a credit of
$7 for Junior members or $22.50 for Deluxe members who would like this size in
lieu of their regular specimen.
LARGER SIZE DIAMONDS– SIZE 2 We have 8 diamond crystals in this size
range, also cubes from the same area in the Congo, about 5-5.5mm
(.200-.220", over 1/5 of an inch) and weigh about 2½ carats on average.
These are available for $120 each, less credit of $7 for Junior members or
$22.50 for Deluxe members who would like this size in lieu of their regular
specimen.
LARGEST SIZE DIAMONDS– SIZE 3 We have two of these, same cubic crystal
form from the same area in the Congo. The smaller is about 8mm across on its
smallest face, and 10mm (1 cm) on its largest. It weighs just over 10 carats and
will sell for $500, less any credit as mentioned above. The bigger is 9mm on its
smallest face, 11mm on its largest, weighs over 15½ carats, and is offered for
$600, less any credit as mentioned above.
DIAMONDS ON MATRIX FROM RUSSIA If anyone wants to really go wild, we
also received two specimens of clear diamond on kimberlite matrix from the Mir
Pipe, Yakuts, Russia. Being on matrix makes these two pieces especially
valuable. One is a diamond about 1½mm across, weighing about .4 carat, (it’s
difficult to know for certain, as it is attached to matrix,) on a rounded oval
matrix about 1½" by almost 1". Its price is $450. The second is about
3mm across, weighs about .4 carat, on matrix about 1" by 1" for $500.
WONDERFUL 10x LOUPES!
If
you want to get up close and personal with your specimen, this 10x power loupe
is the best way to do it! It’s well-built and sturdy, with a larger field of
vision and better optics than loupes that cost twice as much! We can offer these
to Club members for just $17, and the price is unfortunately going to go up when
we sell the ones we have on hand, as the manufacturer is significantly raising
the price .
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