David K. Joyce

Cobalt/Gowganda, Ontario -Various Species

Although Cobalt was famous for the vast quantities of silver mined there over many decades, many other minerals, some fairly rare, have been found there in impressive specimens, confirmed by electron microprobe analysis. Here are some.

All prices in Canadian dollars. For payment in US$, deduct 20% or multiply by 0.8.

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Item #21512 Safflorite, Nickeline 8.3x5.3x5.7 cm Largest Crystal Size: 1mm $85.00 Nipissing 73 Mine Cobalt Ontario, Canada This is an interesting, different one! Very elongated lobes of nickeline are coated with silver-grey safflorite crystals. The lobes are mostly safflorite but have narrow, hollow interiors that may have been filled with silver or some other mineral, at some time. The nickeline would then be some sort of pseudomorph. Looks great, anyway!	Item #29952 Skutterudite, Safflorite 6.6x5.6x6.0 cm Largest Crystal Size: c-4mm $140.00 Langis Mine Casey Township Ontario, Canada This is an interesting one! It is a mass of arsenide mineralization showing vermiform safflorite that is studded with skutterudite and small quartz crystals. The extremely sharp skutterudite crystals are mostly 1-2mm but up to 5mm in size. On the back there is an excellent showing of safflorite pseudomorphs after herringbone silver crystals. Very cool specimen!	Item #29274 Bismuth 10.2x8.2x4.4 cm Largest Crystal Size: n/a $45.00 Deer Horn Mine Cobalt Ontario, Canada A couple of sides of this specimen are covered with rich native bismuth, and very bright cleavages, in places. The sides that reveal the bismuth are actually veinlets of the mineral that were veinlets once embedded in the rock. Nice!	Item #22859 Safflorite, Skutterudite, Nickeline 9.3x7.7x3.0 cm Largest Crystal Size: 2mm $75.00 Nipissing 404 Shaft Cobalt Ontario, Canada This specimen appears to be a botryoidal covering of safflorite with some nickeline in the interior of the botryoids, as well. The botryoidal minerals are largely covered with tiny, sparkling skutterudite crystals. Interesting specimen of these minerals.
Item #22862 Nickeline, Rammelsbergite, Skutterudite, Safflorite 6.7x6.9x3.4 cm Largest Crystal Size: n/a $75.00 Nipissing 404 Shaft Cobalt Ontario, Canada This specimen of botryoidal arsenides shows layers of nickeline, rammelsbergite and skutterudite with a thin skin of safflorite in places. Interesting AND looks great!	Item #27040 Nickeline, arsenides 1.2x1.0x0.7 cm Largest Crystal Size: 2mm $40.00 Rustex Mine Cobalt Ontario, Canada lots of sharp, hexagonal nickeline crystals on this specimen. Rarely do we see such good crystals of this nickel arsenide mineral.	Item #29450 Arsenopyrite on Skutterudite 13.5x8.3x6.8 cm Largest Crystal Size: n/a $125.00 Hudson Bay Mine Cobalt Ontario, Canada A cabinet specimen showing botryoidal skutterudite sprinkled with sparkling small arsenopyrite crystals. Dense!	Item #28357 Skutterudite 4.2x3.4x2.4 cm Largest Crystal Size: 11mm $65.00 Rustex( Hudbay) Mine Gowganda Ontario, Canada The top of this matrix of unidentified, botryoidal arsenides is studded with sharp, excellent crystals of skutterudite. The cubes are typical, with kind of curved but sharp faces. We don't often see larger crystals from these deposits but here are some!