I’ve added excellent new specimens from Cape Split in this Nova Scotia Update. Over the past three years, a pocket system at Cape Split has sporadically yielded excellent, distinctive specimens of several minerals, most notably the groups and hemispheres (and even balls) of natrolite crystals, associated with sharp analcime crystals, and lustrous brownish stilbite crystals. This group of specimens represents some of the nicest pieces recovered from these finds.

I’ve posted some great chabazite specimens from Wasson’s Bluff in this Nova Scotia Update. This is the classic Canadian locality for chabazite, including the deep-coloured ones that were once known as “acadialite”, and many of the specimens in this update are this colour (there are also very fine cabinet specimens of the nice mid-orange colour.)

Super new selenites – sharp, lustrous, transparent, textbook crystals, like crystal models. These crystals are fluorescent with vivid hourglass patterns, and they are also phosphorescent.

Excellent new specimens from Mont Saint-Hilaire. The specimens in this update are from finds 1988-2007. This selection of specimens represents several different unique finds, including beautiful serandites, terminated elpidite crystals, twinned rhodochrosite, sodalite var. hackmanite, narsarsukite, leucophanite, analcime and more.

I’ve added a new Howlite Update with beautiful sharp crystals of howlite. Howlite is not a rare mineral. However, display-quality crystals of howlite are rare. To date, there is only one known locality, on the shoreline of Bras D’Or Lake, near Iona, Victoria Co., Cape Breton Island. This update includes some gorgeous specimens.

The specimens in this update are truly special – they are the top quality Thunder Bay amethyst. These specimens are from the collection of David Nicklin, representing the best of all specimens he and his son Ian mined at the Diamond Willow Mine over a period of over 30 years. They are absolutely remarkable. We don’t expect to be able to see a lot like this again in the future.

Just north of Lake Superior, the Thunder Bay District of Ontario is world famous for its distinctive, ancient amethyst crystals. Thunder Bay amethyst is remarkable for its variety – it occurs in all shades of purple and it is often further coloured by red hematite inclusions, the classic look of Thunder Bay amethyst. It is a long journey to the amethyst mines of the Thunder Bay District, and hopefully this article will bring this beautiful region, its history, geology, mines and collecting experience a bit closer!

This Yukon Update features selected classy specimens of uncommon minerals that are hard to obtain, including kulanite, gormanite, and goyazite, as well as lazulite and wardite. These pieces are from the heyday of famous specimen discoveries at Rapid Creek, in the Dawson Mining District, Yukon, in the 1980s and 1990s.

This update features Canadian titanite crystals. One of the most highly-prized minerals from central Canada, truly excellent quality specimens are elusive, both locally and on the international market. These ones are remarkable for their quality and sharpness.

If you’ve ever wondered about mineral shows as they used to be, the smaller-town affairs meant for everyone, from serious collectors to beginners and families, the Bancroft Shows offer a glimpse. There is a lot to be said for this kinds of mineral show, in a beautiful setting among scenery and wildlife, with guided field trips, local collectors and dealers, and some great minerals.

The new Bancroft Gem and Mineral Club Mineral Museum is open, housed in the recently-restored historic Bancroft Train Station. When you come to Bancroft and want to learn about local minerals, this is where to start! I’ve added a post with a few photographs – we hope to see you in Bancroft soon!

The specimens in this Gmelinite Update are sharp, brilliantly lustrous crystals of gmelinite after chabazite from the classic locality Pinnacle Rock, Five Islands, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada. These are from some of the top finds at the locality and are super for the species, from any locality. The crystal growth patterns on these are exquisite.