I’ve posted excellent new Kazakhstan dioptase specimens in the Dioptase Update – May 2016.. These beautiful specimens were mined in 2015, and acquired from the team currently conducting specimen mining at Altyn Tyube soon afterward.

I’ve added some excellent specimens of lazulite from the Rapid Creek occurrences in this Yukon Lazulite Update. These occurrences are very remote and the costs are high, so specimen collection efforts are few and far between, and it is hard to obtain fine specimens.

I’ve added some beautiful, gemmy, twinned calcite crystals in this Elmwood Calcite Update. Over the years, the miners referred to the large orange Elmwood calcite crystals as “footballs”, and they referred to the clear gemmy calcites in this update as “jewels”. These are from a pocket found in late 2014 – most specimens were damaged and these are exceptional.

I’ve posted a small group of excellent specimens in the new Russia Update. These include beautiful high-quality crystals of axinite-(Fe) from two localites, intense blue azurite balls and sharp copper crystals from the Rubstovskoe Mine, great calcite crystals from the Dal’negorsk district and more.

I’ve added a few excellent new specimens in this Morocco Update. This update includes some particularly fine and unusual pieces – some are rather colourful!

I’ve added a new Austria Update, featuring superb strontianite crystals from Oberdorf an der Laming, Styria, Austria, from the collection of Franz Lammer. These are exceptional strontianites!

I’ve added some vibrant chrysocolla pseudomorphs in the new Chrysocolla Update. These specimens have been definitively identified as chrysocolla, on malachite pseudomorphs after azurite. I suspect that they may be a chrysocolla pseudomorphs after malachite on chrysocolla pseudomorphs (partial and complete) after malachite pseudomorphs after azurite. In any event, they are colourful cabinet specimens of chrysocolla!

I’ve posted a small number of super new specimens in this Milpillas Brochantite Update. These good-sized brochantite crystals are sharp, lustrous and unusually robust for the species, which is often seen in very thin needle-like or hair-like crystals.

Tucson: urban field collecting at its finest! Some years are better than others, and this was a great year at the Tucson shows – many excellent mineral specimens and good fun with mineral friends. This post includes interesting news from Tucson, with glimpses of Tucson specimens to be posted on the website over the coming weeks.

I’ve added a new Morocco Fluorite Update with super yellow fluorite crystals from a small recent find at the El Hammam Mine. These are great yellow fluorite specimens!

I’ve posted great new crystals of xenotime-(Y) from Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil. These crystals are dark brown, sharp and lustrous – they are are superb for this species.

I’ve added a group of diverse minerals in this Peru Update. I have selected these out over various trips – each is a beautiful specimen for the mineral! This update includes a gorgeous rhodonite from Chiurucu, a brilliant alabandite, a super specimen of bournonite cogwheel twins on matrix, a specimen of scheelite coated with bright green stolzite, fluorescent fluorapatites and more.