David K. Joyce

Brazil Minerals, Various

Here is an assortment of unusual Brazilian minerals, mostly from Pegmatite environments.

All prices in Canadian dollars. For payment in US$, deduct 18% or multiply by 0.82.

Click on any of the following thumbnails to view a larger image of the specimen.

Item #29342 Quartz, Rutile, Hematite 5.0x4.4x3.6 cm Largest Crystal Size: Qu 45mm, Ru 22mm $160.00 Novo Horizonte Bahia Brazil This locality in Brazil is famous for the epitaxial growth of rutile on hematite and how it becomes locked in overgrowths of quartz crystals. The fragile golden rutile crystals form first and later the quartz encapsulates them over time. Here our example shows some free standing rutile outside of the clear quartz matrix as well as encapsulated within it. interesting paragenesis! DDJ	Item #29343 Quartz, Rutile, Hematite 6.9x5.5x5.6 cm Largest Crystal Size: Qu 30mm, Ru 9mm $180.00 Novo Horizonte Bahia Brazil This locality in Brazil is famous for the epitaxial growth of rutile on hematite and how it is often locked in overgrowths of quartz crystals. The fragile golden rutile crystals form first and later the quartz encompasses them slowly over time. Here our example shows an interesting stacking on the hematite creating a lattice of the rutile along the outer edge of the quartz matrix. The back of the specimen features a spattering of "free" surface rutile and the top quartz crystals have densely rutilated zones with the golden needles. There is a glued seam on the bottom of the specimen where it apparently once needed reinforcement. Still a very nice example of what comes out of this locality. DDJ	Item #29344 Quartz, Rutile, Hematite 8.0x4.4x4.6 cm Largest Crystal Size: 55mm rutile $200.00 Novo Horizonte Bahia Brazil Here is a stunning example of the type of epitaxial growth of rutile on hematite crystals that are found at this famous locality. These rutile "stars" often become locked within overgrowths of quartz crystals, or are commonly sold as stand alone specimens. Here we have the free standing rutile growth still on the quartz matrix with just a couple of clear quartz crystals poking upwards in the middle of the specimen. Looks great! DDJ	Item #16768 Siderite, Quartz, Pyrrhotite, Albite 7.7x4.8x3.4 cm Largest Crystal Size: q-40mm, s-16mm $110.00 Morro Velho Mine Nova Lima, Minas Gerais Brazil A sweet specimen showing sharp, discoidal siderite crystals associated with clear, colourless quartz crystals. These are sprinkled with tiny, sharp pyrrhotite crystals and some sharp clear albite crystals. Classic, long-closed mine!
Item #17215 Greifensteinite, Eosphorite 3.1x3.3x2.0 cm Largest Crystal Size: gr-micro $65.00 Taquaral Seco Mine Itinga, Minas Gerais Brazil Sharp, divergent greifensteinite crystals are on and between eosphorite crystals up to 1.5cm or so. Also tiny tufts of an unknown white acicular mineral. Excellent!	Item #17216 Greifensteinite, Eosphorite 4.3x3.5x2.5 cm Largest Crystal Size: gr-micro $75.00 Taquaral Seco Mine Itinga, Minas Gerais Brazil Many sharp, greifensteinite crystals are between much larger eosphoritwe crystals on this microcline crystal section. Also some very nice tufts of an unknown mineral. Very nice!	Item #17219 Greifensteinite, Eosphorite, zanazziite 6.0x5.8x3.3 cm Largest Crystal Size: x-micro $75.00 Taquaral Seco Mine Itinga, Minas Gerais Brazil Lots of elongated eosphorite crystals on the front of this microcline, lepidolite matrix. The eosphorite crystals are partly encrusted with countless, excellent greifensteinite crystals. As WELL, there are clusters of superb, platy, slightly yellow zanazziite crystals here and there. Really nice specimen!	Item #20197 Quartz, Dolomite 7.2x6.0x3.5 cm Largest Crystal Size: 72mm $75.00 Morro Velho Nova Lima Minas Gerais, Brazil A sweet specimen of lustrous, gemmy quartz with disc-like, sharp dolomite crystals. Small sulphide crystals are sprinkled here and there. Long closed mine. Displays well!
Item #29345 Fluorapatite 11.1x2.5x2.0 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $450.00 Mario Pinto Mine Taguara, Itinga, Minas Gerais Brazil An exceptionally, well-formed apatite crystal from the Mario Pinto mine in Brazil with a dark green colour and very good luster on the sharp hexagonal prism. A beautiful termination on one end, the other end tapers off into a small cluster of four smaller apatite terminations. Only one other example can found on Mindat and is not nearly as sharply formed, nor as large as this beauty. A fine example for those who love this mineral! DDJ	Item #29337 Rutile, Hematite 7.0x4.4x4.5 cm Largest Crystal Size: 13mm $100.00 Novo Horizonte Bahia Brazil Here we have a fuzzy mass of golden acicular rutile crystals, some extending radially from crystals of metallic hematite (Known as epitaxial growth). These types of aggregates are not often found on the matrix, as seen here. This locality is famous for producing the oxides, often trapped as quartz inclusions. In this case the rutile crystals are still clinging to the native pink/orange clay matrix. DDJ	Item #24849 Elbaite, Quartz 7.4x4.7x1.8 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $65.00 Minas Gerais Brazil Here is a flattened, clear quartz crystal that is shot through with dark green elbaite tourmaline crystals. Classic Brazilian pegmatite crystal specimen. s	Item #24940 Quartz 7.3x2.5x3.2 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $40.00 Conselhiero Mata Minas Gerais Brazil Brazil is the source for many fine quartz crystals. Most have damaged terminations. Here is a nicely terminated milky quartz crystal from this famous area. s
Item #24917 Aquamarine 5.4x3.5x3.9 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $65.00 Brazil Brazil is famous for beryl-aquamarine crystals. Here is a nicely terminated example. It shows well formed prism faces and a mainly pinacoidal termination, although there are modifying faces around the pinacoid. Probably from Minas Gerais. s	Item #25939 Chrysoberyl 1.2x1.2x0.7 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $95.00 Santa Teresa Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais Brazil A gemmy, yellow-green trilling of chrysoberyl with no matrix. Nice front and back! Classic chrysoberyl location.	Item #25940 Chrysoberyl 1.8x1.5x0.4 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $75.00 Minas Novas Minas Gerais Brazil Here is a thick-tabular, twinned crystal of chrysoberyl from an interesting locality. Nice form, colour and stria!	Item #25969 Brazilianite 2.1x1.9x1.9 cm Largest Crystal Size: 12mm $75.00 Minas Gerias Brazil Extremely gemmy, light green crystals of brazilianite cover most of the top-front of this feldspar matrix. Well-terminated, beautiful crystals.
Item #26385 Rutile, Quartz 8.8x8.8x2.7 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $95.00 Minas Gerais Brazil This is an odd mineral specimen. It is a portion of a large, smoky quartz crystal that has been sawn off, roughly parallel to the large face in the photo. The specimen is interesting since it is laced through with hair-like, golden rutile crystals, some up to several cm long. Beautiful as a mineral specimen or as lapidary material!	Item #26702 Beryl, var. Aquamarine 5.2x0.9x0.6 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $120.00 Teofilo Otoni Minas Gerais Brazil A very nice, long, slender, very light blue, well terminated beryl crystal from the world-famous pegmatite area. Nice crystal!!	Item #26703 Beryl, Var. Morganite 3.7x3.8x2.5 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $225.00 Galilea Mine Minas Gerais Brazil This is a piece of a larger crystal of the orangey-pink morganite crystals that you have all seen in textbooks and museums. Don't know why it is sawn on one side but it is a highly gemmy, thick, crystal fragment with small crystal sections of elbaite and quartz attached.	Item #26862 Quartz 7.6x5.5x4.8 cm Largest Crystal Size: 9mm $120.00 Minas Gerais Brazil This is an interesting one. It is mostly composed of rose quartz crystals on a matrix of white quartz. Most of the top of the piece is rose quartz terminations with a chalcedony coating of the roase quartz in the center. Different! Unique!
Item #29511 Apatite, Albite, Muscovite 4.5x2.8x1.6 cm Largest Crystal Size: 13mm $280.00 Sapo Mine Goiaberra, Minas Gerais Brazil A gorgeous, sharp, crystal of fluorapatite on albite-muscovite matrix. The tabular fluorapatite crystal is dark green, showing short prism faces and narrow pyramidal truncations. Very nice!	Item #29375 Fluorapatite, albite, muscovite 5.6x4.1x4.3 cm Largest Crystal Size: 15mm $250.00 Mario Pinto Mine Taguara, Itinga, Minas Gerais Brazil Specimens from this unusual locality are not easy to come by. Here we have an intergrown cluster of four+ green/grey boxy prisms sitting on top of the albite muscovite matrix. A charming specimen. DDJ	Item #28213 Hematite 4.1x4.3x3.9 cm Largest Crystal Size: 33mm $120.00 Belo Horizonte Brazil One large, excellent hematite crystal is nicely presented at the front and top of this pure hematite matrix. The crystal is a flattened rhombohedron with excellent lustre and many modifying forms. It is in great shape and complete, except near the bottom where it was in contact with other crystals. Displays perfectly.	Item #29372 Cassiterite 3.4x3.0x3.1 cm Largest Crystal Size: as above $90.00 Conselheiro Pena Mine Minas Gerais Brazil Historically mined as a tin ore, Cassiterite isn't commonly associated with pegmatites, however the pegmatites of Minas Gerais have produced some great pieces. This highly lustrous, jet black twinned cassiterite is a good example of what can be recovered Brazil pegmatites. One side of the crystal shows where it was once contacted to the wall of the vug, some specs of muscovite remain. DDJ
Item #29370 Rutilated Quartz 10.2x5.9x2.9 cm Largest Crystal Size: 80mm $100.00 Novo Horizonte Bahia Brazil This locality in Brazil is famous for specimens exhibiting epitaxial growth of rutile on hematite, often locked in overgrowths of quartz crystals. The fragile golden rutile and hematite crystals form first and later the quartz encapsulates them. This example has one tabular plate section of quartz connected to the one much larger base crystal. interesting paragenesis! DDJ	Item #29363 Fluorapatite, Albite 4.8x3.1x3.3 cm Largest Crystal Size: 13mm $170.00 Mario Pinto Mine Taguara, Itinga, Minas Gerais Brazil Specimens from this unusual locality are not easy to come by. Here's a pair of blue-green intergrown apatite crystals, both short prisms and both featuring sharp terminations seated on a bed of lustrous, reticulated snow-white albite crystals. Nice combination! DDJ	Item #28915 Elbaite 1.2x1.1x0.7 cm Largest Crystal Size: 12mm $75.00 Itatiaia Mine, Conselheiro Pena Minas Gerais Brazil Here is a nice, well terminated, pink elbaite crystal attached to a colourless quartz crystal. This famous mine is well known for pink-red crystals of Elbaite.	Item #28961 Dolomite 3.5x2.8x2.1 cm Largest Crystal Size: 31mm $55.00 Brumado Bahia Brazil A sharp, twinned dolomite crystal from one of the better dolomite crystal localities in the world. The crystal twin plane is right down the middle of the crystal and it also shows strong zoning. Unusual, interesting crystal.