Garnet var. Spessartine #SPS0002 Loliondo, Tanzania 26.4 mm x 25.3 mm x 24.8 mm $2,950 Order this Specimen
Description:	This is one of the hottest crystals in town, or in the world for that matter!  These incredible spessartine crystals are the WOW of the Tucson 2008 show.  A good friend of mine helped me acquire this crystal, one of the best ones for the size and price, before it could get snatched up at the show.  The crystal is a floater, complete all around, and has amazing tangerine orange color, especially when backlit.  What makes these spessartines so unique is that they are actually gemmy for their size.  This one has a seam in the back where a schist-like mineral was attached, and when the schist was removed, there were crystal faces in the seam, making this crystal officially a floater with no point of attachment!  Crystals of this quality are few and far between from this new find, and have been selling upwards of $4,000 for the same size as this one.  Your jaw will drop when you hold this baby in your hands, and you won't want to put it down!

Chrysoberyl #CHR0004 Ratnapura, Sri Lanka 13.8 mm x 8.7 mm x 8.6 mm (8.65 cts) $220 Order this Specimen
Description:	I have an affinity for Sri Lankan crystals, and this chrysoberyl is a good example of why!  This crystal has amazing golden-yellow color, glassy faces, and it is just incredibly gemmy.  And if you look at the picture on the right, you can see that it shows chatoyancy (a.k.a. cat's eye) from the side.  The crystal is a twin, and could still be cleaned a little to remove a bit of old mud as you can see in the close ups.  But as it is now, it is just divine, a great thumbnail and one that will surely make you happy!

Elbaite var. "Blue Cap" #ELB0001 Ladhak, Kashmir, India 46.2 mm x 26.2 mm x 18.0 mm (175.5 cts) $355 SOLD
Description:	Tourmalines have never been my strong point because they come in so many varieties and from so many places.  But when I see one from a unique or famous locale, I am inclined to snatch it up.  This is a wonderful crystal from a small find of blue-cap tourmalines in India.  These are very unusual, in that they have green and yellow bodies with inky blue caps, unlike the typical pink cores with blue caps that you see a lot from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Brazil.  You can see the back of the crystal is covered with albite, but the crystal is complete.  Very cool!

Euclase #ECL0004 Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil 48.2 mm x 29.5 mm x 15.0 mm (152.55 cts) $415 Order this Specimen
Description:	Oh boy, this is one gigantic euclase crystal, and it is remarkably complete, too!  The termination show many complex natural facets, and the prism faces are intact.  There are some internal zones of an iron oxide which make the crystal appear yellowish in some places.  But overall this is a fantastic specimen, colorless and gemmy, and if you want a big euclase crystal that won't break the bank, then this is the crystal for you!

Beryl var. Aquamarine #AQU0005 Gilgit, Northern Areas, Pakistan 39.4 mm x 26.2 mm x 21.6 mm (131.75 cts) $200 Order this Specimen
Description:	My pictures just could not capture just how amazing this aquamarine is.  This crystal has literally hundreds of parallel terminations, as it is highly etched and still very attactive.  The color is also very unique, as it appears almost pleochroic from light blue to a medium blue, becoming more intense depending upon the angle you look at it.  A hydrothermally etched treasure for a great value.  This is the only aquamarine from Gilgit that I have seen with this habit.  An attractive specimen.

Euclase #ECL0002 Gachala Mine, Guavio-Guateque Mining District, Colombia 20.4 mm x 17.1 mm x 10.0 mm (23.25 cts) $1,100 Order this Specimen
Description:	Colombian euclase is far rarer than Brazilian euclase, and the crystals from Gachala are some of the finest blue crystals that Colombia has to offer.  This crystal is of a very respectable size at over 23 carats, and it has the most gorgeous chrome-blue color that is just intense and vivid down the c-axis.  The termination is unfortunately incomplete, which keeps this specimen from being valued upwards of $5000.  It is pure gem, and would cut a huge stone or several respectable sized ones, but why would you do that??  My pictures did not capture the true intensity of the color ... just incredible in person!

Clinohumite #CLH0002 Pamir Mtns., Tajikistan, Russia 9.7 mm x 9.2 mm x 7.0 mm (3.9 cts) $200 Order this Specimen
Description:	Clinohumite has been found now in Afghanistan, and also in Vietnam, but if you are looking for a gem crystal with amazing tangerine-orange color, then the Pamir Mountains are where you want to get your clinohumite crystals from!  I have one other crystal from this locale posted in a previous update, and this one is a bit smaller but has the most amazing gemminess and crystal form.  It looks like a piece of candy, delicious!  This is a fantastic crystal for the price, don't miss out!

Pezzottaite #PEZ0001 Ambatovita, Fianarantsoa, Madagascar 30.5 mm x 23.8 mm x 8.5 mm (27.45 cts) $375 SOLD
Description:	A huge etched crystal of pezzottaite, showing a lovely peachy-pink color and many crystal faces all over.  This crystal is quite large for the species, and very unusually shaped.  I think that for its size and weight, the price is a steal.  If you have been looking for a large pezzottaite for a great value, then you have found it!

Corundum var. Ruby #RUB0001 Luc Yen, Yenbai Province, Vietnam 14.2 mm x 5.1 mm x 6.4 mm (3.85 cts) $55 Order this Specimen
Description:	Roses are red ... violets are blue ... and rubies are red too!  OK, so I'm not a poet (I wasn't really trying), but I cherry picked this crystal from a parcel of gem rough because it has such wonderful form and color.  It would be a great addition to any thumbnail or gem crystal collector's collection.  Most rubies from vietnam tend to have a rough look, inclusions, or are not as translucent as this crystal.  Priced right, so be my guest and take it away!

Corundum var. Sapphire #SPH0003 Ratnapura, Sri Lanka 41.6 mm x 12.3 mm x 13.9 mm (49.05 cts) $400 Order this Specimen
Description:	This is a wonderful Sri Lankan sapphire for many reasons.  First of all, it has razor-sharp form.  Secondly, it's pretty big compared to what normally surfaces on the market.  Thirdly, it is fairly gemmy, but also has a neat pale yellow color.  I think that this crystal could brighten up anyone's day, for sure.  Don't be shy, you know you would love to have it!

Corundum var. Ruby #RUB0002 Mogok, Myanmar 10.9 mm x 5.8 mm x 5.0 mm (2.95 cts) $70 Order this Specimen
Description:	This crystal may not be huge, but it is just downright gorgeous.  It has an electric blood-red color and shiny faces all over.  It's a complete floater, with a perfect barrel shape to it.  Each termination shows trigons, and when backlit, the crystal just glows with color.  For the price, it's a superb Burmese ruby crystal that you will just keep looking at again and again.

Garnet var. Spessartine #SPS0001 Ibadan Province, Nigeria 11.6 mm x 11.0 mm x 9.1 mm (13.1 cts) $185 Order this Specimen
Description:	Aside from the new find of Tanzanian spessartines, Nigeria provides us mineral collectors with some pretty nice examples for the species as well.  I purchase this crystal many years ago and never intended to part with it, but I have decided to finally do so.  It has great form as you can see, like a little soccer ball.  The bottom shows a point of attachment, but you would never see that by displaying it as shown in the pics.  The color is a lovely orange-red reminiscent of a tropical sunset.  Just a great crystal.

Chrysoberyl #CHR0003 Espirito Santo, Brazil 28.6 mm x 22.1 mm x 16.5 mm (85.3 cts) $85 Order this Specimen
Description:	A great example of a V-twin chrysoberyl from this famous Brazilian locale.  While not complete, the crystal does show good form, some gemmy zones, and the typical green-yellow color for the species at this location.  The crystal has a good feel to it, as in it has a respectable size and weight and is priced at a great value for the size.

Topaz var. Imperial (Red) #TPZ0003 Marianas, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil 16.1 mm x 14.6 mm x 10.9 mm (20.9 cts) $65 RESERVED Order this Specimen
Description:	This topaz may not be huge, but I bought it more for its color than anything else.  Because it has a reddish hue to it, and from some angle is more orange.  But overall the color is just great!  Most Imperial topaz shows only yellow or orange.  But here you can see a reddish, almost strawberry color blending with the typical orange to produce an atypical crystal color!  The crystal form is excellent, and you can see that some of the prism faces are actually shiny while the termination shows a unique etched pattern.  A very nice crystal indeed.

Garnet var. Grossular #GRS0001 Umba Valley, Kenya 31.4 mm x 24.4 mm x 12.7 mm (72.35 cts) $170 Order this Specimen
Description:	To wrap up this update, here is a gorgeous cluster of grossular crystals of a lovely cinnamon-orange color.  But this specimen is actually from a locale in Kenya!  It looks like it came from the Jeffrey Quarry, but I assure you, this is actually a glassy, gemmy crystal group from a unique find in Kenya, which is famous for its tsavorite crystals more than anything else.  The crystals show typical dodecahedral faces with complex stepped modifications.  I have not been able to find another specimen of its caliber or size anywhere.  I would be honored to send to you so you can enjoy it, too!

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