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Green Mountain Minerals

"Experience Minerals"
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05/28/2026

TOPAZ

Ghundao Hill, Katlang, Mardan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Topaz from Ghundao Hill is in many ways quite unusual. Most topaz deposits are pegmatitic, but Ghundao Hill is a hydrothermal deposit, with the topaz crystals deposited in veins of calcite. Another unusual feature is the color. While many of the topaz from this deposit is the usual sherry color, some crystals will be pink, or even purple in color. This unusual color is due to trace amounts of chromium, the same trace element that somehow makes emeralds green, and rubies red. The last, and probably most desirable feature of specimens from Ghundao is that the color is not light-sensitive. Sherry-colored topaz from much of Pakistan will become paler with long term exposure to light, but those from Ghundao have color that is stable over time.

This specimen demonstrates the above attributes quite well. The color is a pleasant peachy pink, thanks to its chromium content. It sits nicely in a matrix of massive calcite. The crystal is lustrous and transparent, with a complex multifaceted termination. This rare specimen would make an impressive addition to a gem crystal collection.

Available. Please DM for more information.

05/14/2026

SMITHSONITE
Kelly Mine, Magdalena District, Socorro County, New Mexico

When it comes to smithsonite, the varieties available to collectors are essentially limitless. It is an allochromatic mineral, meaning chemically pure Zinc Carbonate is colorless, while specimens of the mineral can come in a variety of colors, depending on what trace element impurity is acting as a chromphore. In fact, smithsonite can be found in all colors of the rainbow, though purple and red are the least common. Likewise the crystal formations are quite varied. Some may be found as euhedral rhombohedral and scalenohedral crystals, or on the other side of the spectrum as gracefully rounded botryoidal masses. Other pieces will have a form somewhere in the middle, with subparallel aggregates of crystals shaped like rice grains, wheat sheafs, or rounded triangular aggregates. Well-formed specimens of smithsonite are found in a great many deposits around the world, in an extraordinary variety of possible colors combined with different crystal forms. A mineral lover could collect nothing but smithsonite and still have a large and diverse collection full of beautiful pieces.

One of the best known of all localities for smithsonite is the Kelly Mine in New Mexico. Specimens from this locality are easily recognizable because of their silky luster and sinuous curves, but above all because of their windex-blue color. Our piece is a fine example of these features, and for its size, 15 x 10 cm, it is one of the best Kelly smithsonites ever found. Now in a private collection.

03/30/2026

FLUORITE

Stoneco White Rock Quarry, Clay Center, Ohio

Across America, there are many wonderful sources for fluorite specimens. Those coming from Clay Center are instantly recognizable, due to their pure cubic shapes and their rich root beer color. This color is due to microscopic inclusions of organic bituminous material, and under ultraviolet light these compounds produce a creamy yellow fluorescence. Color zoning is often seen, especially in larger crystals, with the cores of the cubes darker due to higher concentration of bitumen inclusions. Another unique feature of this deposit is that the fluorite is often found associated with white blades of celestine.

The quarry has been operated since the late 1800s for the production of stone used in paving and construction. Fluorite specimens have been collected there sporadically ever since. The crystals are simple cubic forms, and typically
measure between one-quarter inch and one-half inch in size. Rarely they are an inch or more.

This one is an exceptional in size. It is a complete cube all around, with a few blades of celestine piercing the bottom face of the crystal. The color zoning is also very distinct, with a paler honey colored rim.

Previously in the collection of Harris Precht, who spent decades assembling one of the finest collections of minerals of the Midwest. This giant single crystal is among the best of the its kind.

Please DM for more information.

06/18/2025

Native Silver
Uchucchacua Mine, Oyón district, Lima, Peru

The Uchucchacua Mine in Peru is best-known for world class specimens of Rhodochrosite and other rarer manganese-bearing minerals like Alabandite. This mine has also produced wonderful specimens of Native Silver. Around the world, specimens of Native Silver is found in many forms. Silver crystals can be simple cubes or octahedra, or more elaborate forms such as arborescent fronds, herringbones, and spinel twins. One of the simplest forms, and most unusual in the mineral kingdom, is that of the silver wire. Its curvaceous, aerial appearance is a lovely counterpoint to the solid rectilinear appearance of most mineral specimens in a collector’s cabinet. It is 8 cm in height, with the bottom of the piece curled in a way that allows it to stand upright without support. Please DM for more information.

06/13/2025

Tourmaline with Albite and Quartz.
At first glance, you might assume that this spectacular blue cap Tourmaline is from the classic find in 1972 at the Tourmaline Queen Mine. You would be close, but not quite right, as it was found one mile away, at the Pala Chief Mine. Norm Dawson found this small but exceptional pocket in 2004. He named this find The Holy $ #!% Pocket, quite possibly because after uttering this somewhat profane expletive, he was struck speechless.
The main Tourmaline crystal is nicely accented by a small sidecar Tourmaline, and also by bright white blades of Cleavelandite matrix, and a well-formed crystal of light citrine Quartz. The star of the show is, of course the main crystal of Tourmaline, with textbook trigonal prismatic shape, somewhat taller than it is wide. The body is a saturated purplish-red, grading into a bright blue cap with a sharp flat pinacoidal termination. With great color, and an aesthetic arrangement of 3 mineral species, this piece is an American classic in red, white, and blue.

12cm

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Beacon, NY
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http://greenmountainminerals.com/

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