Mineral suite
Worldwide miniatures
Subcollection focusing on miniature-sized specimens from all over the world. Main criteria while picking these specimens was their aesthetics, complete crystals and variety of colors. Specimens on this page are not for sale.
WM01
Amazonite
Pikes Peak Occurence, Colorado, USA
Classic combo of amazonite and smoky quartz. Great contrasting tabular smoky quartz on top of the amazonite.
WM02
Fluorite
Elmwood Mine, Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee, USA
Vibrant purple cube of fluorite on top of some sphalerite accompanied by a small detail of baryte crystals.
WM03
Native copper
Itauz Mine, Zhilandy group, Kazakhstan
Dendritic crystals of native copper perched on top of a matrix chunk with patina giving an even better look.
WM04
Hyalophane
Zagradski Potok, Bosnia and Herzegovina
High quality specimen of microcline var. hyalophane from the locality that produced the best known specimens of this species.
WM05
Calcite
Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, China
Exceptionally sharp calcite crystals forming a complex structure and showing some well-defined phantoms.
WM06
Calcite
Elk Creek, Meade County, South Dakota, USA
A vibrant yellow plate of well-crystalized calcite acting as a shield for the sharp baryte “spear”.
WM07
Calcite
Haut-Lieu Quarry, Nord, Hauts-de-France, France
Twinned calcite crystals included with hematite, which gives them a really nice color, without any damage.
WM08
Baryte
Turț Mine (Ghezuri), Turț, Satu Mare County, Romania
Flower-like crystals of baryte showing the barium-rich yellow color with a stem of sphalerite and galena.
WM09
Baryte
Linwood Mine, Buffalo, Scott County, Iowa, USA
A sharp, large and phenomenal crystal of baryte accompanied by smaller crystals on top of a piece of matrix.
WM10
Vanadinite
Mibladen, Midelt Province, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco
Large crystals of vanadinite in an interesting combination of colors. Part of the specimen has the caramel look, while the other is going for deep red.
WM11
Azurite
Malbunka Copper Mine, Northern Territory, Australia
An ideal azurite “sun” balancing on top of a chunk of kaolinite acting as matrix for this specimen.
WM12
Baryte
Muddy Creek, Rio Grande County, Colorado, USA
My favorite baryte from the Muddy Creek I’ve ever seen. A large and a really small crystal balanced on top of some matrix.
WM13
Chrysocolla
L'Etoile du Congo Mine, Lubumbashi, DR Congo
Botryoidal specimen of chrysocolla without any damage showing vibrant color and perched on top of some matrix.
WM14
Malachite
L'Etoile du Congo Mine, Lubumbashi, DR Congo
Botryoidal specimen of malachite without any damage with a few cerussite crystals underneath.
WM15
Epidote
Rusted Revolver Prospect, Orogrande, New Mexico, USA
Flawless Carlsbad twin of epidote pseudomorph after orthoclase. One of the best specimens from this unique find.
WM16
Amazonite
Harlequin Pocket, Smoky Hawk, Colorado, USA
Cluster of aesthetic microcline var amazonite crystals from the classic locality.
WM17
Calcite
Borieva Mine, Madan Municipality, Bulgaria
Interesting crystal form of light pink manganoan calcite crystals.
WM18
Orthoclase
West Maroon Pass Area, Pitkin County, Colorado, USA
Flawless orthoclase Carlsbad twin from the classic American locality. Comes from the stock of Rock Currier.
WM19
Hyalophane
Zagradski potok, Bosnia and Herzegovina
High quality specimen of microcline var. hyalophane from the locality that produced the best known specimens of this species.
WM20
Baryte
Mibladen, Midelt Province, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco
A classic and often seen combination in a rarely aesthetic arrangement. Baryte on galena covered with cerussite crystals.
WM21
Prehnite
Diakon, Bafoulabé Cercle, Kayes Region, Mali
A complete vibrant green prehnite ball perched on top of some dark green epidote crystals acting as matrix.
WM22
Calcite
San Giovanni Mine, Bindua, Iglesias, Sardinia, Italy
Doubly-terminated, super aesthetic, crystal of calcite from the famous San Giovanni mine, on a chunk of matrix.
WM23
Staurolite
Kola Peninsula, Murmansk Oblast, Russia
An almost ninety degrees cross of twinned staurolite crystals from the classic Russian locality.
WM24
Vanadinite
Mibladen, Midelt Province, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco
Blood-red crystals of vanadinite with fascinating lustre gives this specimen something special, all this while being on a contrasting matrix.
WM25
Calcite
El Hammam, Khémisset Province, Morocco
Twinned calcite on a chunk of pyrite acting as matrix representing one of the best calcite specimens I’ve seen from this locale.
WM26
Apophyllite
Pune District, Pune Division, Maharashtra, India
Apophyllite bowtie on top of a stilbite cluster creating a wonderful composition. The apophyllite is set on top of the stilbite cluster.
WM27
Amethyst
Burhanpur District, Madhya Pradesh, India
Leaf-like crystals of calcite on top of amethyst crystals hidden in a layer of basalt create a beautiful arrangement.
WM28
Orpiment
Quiruvilca Mine, Quiruvilca District, La Libertad, Peru
Plate of bright yellow and orange orpiment on top of galena, covered with a few gemmy and sharp baryte crystals.
WM29
Aquamarine
Erongo Mountains, Karibib, Erongo Region, Namibia
Thick and sharp crystal of aquamarine showing a darker zone on top of a feldspar matrix. A smaller aquamarine crystal is hidden on the matrix.
WM30
Vanadinite
Taouz, Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco
A vanadinite crystal rose on top of well-defined siderite crystals acting as matrix, giving a really nice contrast.
WM31
Chalcedony
Erdőhorváti, Zemplén Mountians, Hungary
A botryoidal aggregate of chalcedony from an unusual location in Hungary. One of the first specimens acquired in my “new phase” of collecting.
WM32
Crocoite
Adelaide Mine, Dundas, Tasmania, Australia
Radiant and sharp crystals of red crocoite displayed on a fragile piece of matrix – creating a fun and dynamic arrangement.
WM33
Fluorite
Ojuela Mine, Mapimí Municipality, Durango, Mexico
A thin quartz plate separating two perfect fluorite cubes. The fluorite cubes show a bright red fluorescence under UV light.
WM34
Red Quartz
Second Sovetskii Mine, Dalnegorsk, Russia
Specimen of characteristic red quartz with sphalerite from Russia growing into two towers. Desirable material in an interesting formation.
WM35
Smoky Quartz
Papachacra, Corral Quemado, Belén, Catamarca, Argentina
Really sharp smoky quartz crystal perched on top of very well formed albite crystals showing sharp white and black phantoms.
WM36
More photos left to add to the subcollection/suite
50+ Specimens About to be photographed and added to this suite.
Soon!
Stay tuned for more amazing specimens.
Learn more about
Mineral Specimen Sizes
Collectors tend to collect mineral specimens in different sizes. Narrowing down to specific groups by mineral size can help a collector focus on a certain size, limiting his expenses and field of view.
Groups of mineral specimen sizes
In my opinion, for collectors with limited space for display, focusing and collecting like thumbnail sized and miniature sized specimens makes perfect sense. I am one of those collectors. Focusing on these sizes makes the mineral selection smaller, helps you save up space and focus better. But, it all comes to personal preferences. That is why we provide you a “guide” to mineral sizes. Wherever you look, these dimensions will be a bit off, but close enough.
Micromounts (MT): Specimens that require a microscope to enjoy their crystals. Usually under 10mm.
Thumbnail sized (TN): Usually described as any mineral that can fit into a perky box (box that is 1.25″ inch by 1.25″ inch, invented by Willard Perkins) – so from 2mm up to 3cm or 1/16″ to 1.25″
Miniature sized (MIN): Specimens larger than a thumbnail, from 3cm to 6cm or described as minerals that can fit into a 2″ square box.
Small cabinet sized (SMC): From 6cm to 10cm or 2-1/2″ to 4″
Large Cabinet sized (LGC): Larger than 10cm or 4″, up to 6″
Extra Large Cabinet sized (XLC): Larger than 15cm or 6″. Often reffered to as Museum size
Photographs used with permission from The Arkenstone – iRocks.com
Looking for similar specimens?
Visit the "Sales" page
Over time, some specimens don’t fall into the focus of collecting anymore. That is when they are redirected to this page, and wait for adoption and someone that can appreciate them more.