JFD237AQ1: A curiosity: A well crystallized Quartz from the Aragonese Pyrenees and from the little known locality of Valsaroleta, with Chlorite and ferriferous Dolomite, which at the time were described as Pyrophyllite and Ankerite on the Folch label, the “Pyrophyllite” having been opportunely modified by Mr. Folch himself and with the “Ankerite” later re-described as ferriferous Dolomite. Nowadays we have much more information than was available 76 years ago when this elegant piece was found.
Balsaroleta, Sallent de Gállego, Tena Valley, Comarca Alto Gállego, Huesca, Aragon  Spain (1947)

Specimen size: 9.2 × 8.2 × 3.1 cm = 3.62” × 3.23” × 1.22”

Main crystal size: 3.1 × 1 cm = 1.22” × 0.39”

JFD238AQ1: In this case, its history is almost worth as much as the specimen itself. Yes, all right, it's a specimen of Silver from the legendary La Espuela de San Miguel mine, but its label, which is a tiny business card of Engineer José Antonio Carbonell Molina, with Folch annotations on the front and with handwritten notes by Engineer Carbonell on the back: '133 meter level of the so-called Realce nº 3 on the 6th floor South 8-3-57' is a precious reminder of the scientific side of mineral collecting and shows us how, thanks to a passion for minerals, we now have information about something that no longer exists and whose information would otherwise have been lost.
La Espuela de San Miguel Mine, Villanueva de Córdoba, Comarca Los Pedroches, Córdoba, Andalusia  Spain (08/03/1957)

Specimen size: 3 × 2.5 × 1.2 cm = 1.18” × 0.98” × 0.47”

JFD239AQ1: Around the year 2015, these curious barytes unexpectedly began to be found in the Haití Mine, with large crystals and a color difficult to describe, between yellow and blue, and with inclusions of this mine's unavoidable manganese oxides.
This specimen was found by the well-known field collector 'Retamero', a well known name in this district.
Haití Mine, Cabezo de San Ginés, San Ginés de la Jara, Cartagena, Comarca Campo de Cartagena, Region of Murcia (Murcia)  Spain (2015)

Specimen size: 9.6 × 5.6 × 1.8 cm = 3.78” × 2.20” × 0.71”

JFD240AQ1: Before the two great Reguerín pockets (Reguerín and Reguerín II) were discovered, there had already been finds of very transparent light blue Fluorite in the area of the La Viesca Mine, just like this specimen, which has a good crystal size too.
It brings back many memories of that glorious time when hundreds or even thousands of Fluorite specimens appeared continuously. Nothing like the current situation.
La Viesca area, La Collada mining area, Huergo, Siero, Comarca Oviedo, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (1991)

Specimen size: 7.5 × 5.6 × 4.2 cm = 2.95” × 2.20” × 1.65”

Main crystal size: 2.5 × 2.5 cm = 0.98” × 0.98”

JFD241AQ1: A good example of what the Reguerín I pocket yielded. I liked its architecture, and that the Fluorite was mounted on Quartz with its characteristic perimorphs of Calcite, which have growth phantoms too and, in general, has more “life” than most other pieces from this pocket, whose specimens generally had larger cubes, but whose overall look was more “dull” than the appearance of this piece, which I always found to be very cheerful.
La Viesca Mine, Reguerín pocket, La Collada mining area, Huergo, Siero, Comarca Oviedo, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (04/1994)

Specimen size: 10.2 × 8 × 5.4 cm = 4.02” × 3.15” × 2.13”

Main crystal size: 2.1 × 1.8 cm = 0.83” × 0.71”

JFD223AP8: This Smithsonite (analyzed) comes from the prolific San Valentín deposit. It is richer in crystals than usual and has a greenish hue unlike other smithsonites from there, which usually have brown tones. The fact that it is an old piece, from the French engineer Maurice Boudon, could be the reason for these differences from the more modern smithsonites. All this, and the pedigree of having belonged to Boudon, helped me at that time to decide to keep it.
San Valentín open pit, Sancti Espíritu, Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión, La Unión, Comarca Campo de Cartagena, Region of Murcia (Murcia)  Spain (1982-1984)

Specimen size: 9.4 × 9.2 × 4.4 cm = 3.70” × 3.62” × 1.73”

JFD205AP5: Very unusual for San Lino because of its color, much more intense than usual there. Of course, the faces of the hexoctahedron are very characteristic, and even more so considering that when I got this piece, the Emilio and Jaimina mines had not even started working yet.
San Lino Quarry, Aurora vein, Caravia mining area, Cerracín, Prado, Caravia, Comarca Oriente, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (±1979)

Specimen size: 7.9 × 6.4 ×.3.6 cm = 3.11” × 2.52” × 0.12”

Main crystal size: 2.5 × 2.1 cm = 0.98” × 0.83”

JFD203AP5: Crystals from this mine are rarely so individualized and rarely are they on such a white matrix. That's why I kept it.
Troya Mine, Mutiloa, Comarca Goyerri, Guipúzcoa / Gipuzkoa, Basque Country (Euskadi)  Spain (±1984)

Specimen size: 4.9 × 4.7 × 3.3 cm = 1.93” × 1.85” × 1.30”

Main crystal size: 1.1 × 0.7 cm = 0.43” × 0.28”

JFD202AP5: Superb color and luster. I always really liked the good prehnites from Carchelejo, that's why I have quite a few in the collection; when I saw a particularly good one I always kept it. The good years of that mine were a splendid time.
Oficarsa Quarry, De las Culebras Hill, Carchelejo, Cárcheles, Comarca Sierra Mágina, Jaén, Andalusia  Spain (2004)

Specimen size: 6.1 × 3.3 × 1.5 cm = 2.40” × 1.30” × 0.59”

JFD197AP4: Calcite variety is not lacking in the Moscona Mine. Among so many, there is always one that for one reason or another attracts more attention. Such is the case with this piece, in which the darker-colored growth figures seem to want to show the trigonal symmetry that characterizes the species. Unusual and curious.
Moscona Mine, El Llano, Solís, Corvera de Asturias, Comarca Avilés, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (09/2013)

Specimen size: 7.3 × 5.4 × 4.4 cm = 2.87” × 2.13” × 1.73”

Main crystal size: 5.5 × 4.4 cm = 2.17” × 1.73”

JFD178AP1: The difference between pieces from the Emilio Mine and the Jaimina Mine is very subtle. But we can tell that this piece came from the Emilio because when I bought it, Jaimina hadn't started working yet, but if it weren't for that, and for the general 'clarity' of the piece, doubt could remain, especially because of those hexaoctahedral Fluorite cubes.
Emilio Mine, Obdulia vein, Caravia mining area, La Rubiera, Loroñe, Colunga, Comarca de la Sidra, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (2006)

Specimen size: 5.7 × 5.3 × 3.4 cm = 2.24” × 2.09” × 1.34”

Main crystal size: 3 × 1.8 cm = 1.18” × 0.71”

JFD168AO9: Without the fame of its neighbor, the Troya Mine, in its heyday the Aizpea concession in Zerain yielded excellent specimens like this Baryte, very well formed and transparent and with small Galena crystals on one side and also included in one of the Baryte crystals. Spanish classic from a not well known locality.
Aizpea claim, Cerain mines, Zerain, Comarca Goyerri, Guipúzcoa / Gipuzkoa, Basque Country (Euskadi)  Spain

Specimen size: 5.1 × 3.6 × 2.4 cm = 2.01” × 1.42” × 0.94”

Main crystal size: 4.3 × 2.2 cm = 1.69” × 0.87”

JFD159AO8: From a prolific mine for Calcite, I kept this one because it is more transparent than what is usually seen from there.
Herculano Mine, El Puntal, Campos de Golf, Atamaría, Cartagena, Comarca Campo de Cartagena, Region of Murcia (Murcia)  Spain (2010)

Specimen size: 10.8 × 5 × 3.7 cm = 4.25” × 1.97” × 1.46”

Main crystal size: 1 × 1 cm = 0.39” × 0.39”

JFD136AO6: One of the unexpected Spanish golds from the Sierra de la Chimenea area, this one in particular showing better presentation and definition than others. It has many empty molds of what must have been Quartz crystals, but which later geological processes have made disappear.
De la Chimenea Mountains, Talarrubias / Casas de Don Pedro area, Comarca La Siberia, Badajoz, Extremadura  Spain (2002-2008)

Specimen size: 1.2 × 0.9 × 0.3 cm = 0.47” × 0.35” × 0.12”

JFD119AO4: A curiosity very different from other Berbes pieces. The cube is a floater, has good color and prominent growth zoning. On the back, the inner zoned cube is very clear and around it grows a network of dissolution figures that give it an atypical appearance. It was sold to me simply as 'Berbes' and thus we don't know where exactly in that mining district this rarity came from.
Berbes mining area, Berbes, Ribadesella, Comarca Oriente, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (1995)

Specimen size: 3.5 × 3.5 × 2.7 cm = 1.38” × 1.38” × 1.06”

JFD118AO4: This Baryte is the proof that it can be a ticklish matter to ensure that this or that piece is from this or that locality. This appears to not be from the Emilio mine, neither for its habit nor for its size and definition. Fortunately, the Dolomite that accompanies it does resemble those from the Emilio mine and, furthermore, I am certain that it is from there because I bought it from the legendary Portuguese shovel operator Cándido, who was the one who had the best pieces in the initial years of exploitation of that mine.
Emilio Mine, Obdulia vein, Caravia mining area, La Rubiera, Loroñe, Colunga, Comarca de la Sidra, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (2002)

Specimen size: 4.9 × 2.8 × 3.4 cm = 1.93” × 1.10” × 1.34”

Main crystal size: 2.7 × 2 cm = 1.06” × 0.79”

JFD106AO3: A very old Pyrite from Ambas Aguas, from the 1970s-80s, which not only has an oblong appearance, quite different from what we usually see from there, but has also maintained its pristine condition all these years, both in its previous collection as in mine, and it has even kept its original luster.
Ambas Aguas (Ambasaguas), Muro de Aguas, Comarca Arnedo, La Rioja  Spain (±1970)

Specimen size: 4.8 × 4 × 3.8 cm = 1.89” × 1.57” × 1.50”

Main crystal size: 3.1 × 3 cm = 1.22” × 1.18”

JFD89AO1: The Josefa-Veneros vein yielded many fluorites and although they typically exhibit large cubes with color zoning on the edges of the crystals, rough, with dodecahedral faces and predominantly violet colors, there can be notable variations within this pattern, as in this case, in which the color is much bluer than usual, as well as its high transparency that makes it different from the usual Josefa-Veneros standards but no less beautiful for that.
Josefa-Veneros vein, 75 level, Coroña de Arriba-La Collada, La Collada mining area, Siero, Comarca Oviedo, Principality of Asturias (Asturias)  Spain (±1970-75)

Specimen size: 8 × 5.6 × 2.5 cm = 3.15” × 2.20” × 0.98”

Main crystal size: 1.6 × 1.5 cm = 0.63” × 0.59”

JFD242AQ1: Panasqueira ferberites are among the standard-bearers of that mining district, but have always been difficult to acquire without flaws and with a certain “dynamism”, like this piece in which the many Ferberite crystals seem scattered in the Quartz crystals, which are very transparent and have small Muscovite rosettes at their base.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (1996)

Specimen size: 4 × 3.9 × 5.4 cm = 1.57” × 1.54” × 2.13”

Main crystal size: 1.7 × 1.2 cm = 0.67” × 0.47”

JFD243AQ1: Doubly terminated, very sharp, and without the slightest defect, this Ferberite has been for many years one of the prides of my collection. The Siderite crystals that border it, and the Marcasite and Quartz, complete its beauty.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (1994)

Specimen size: 6.7 × 4.8 × 3.4 cm = 2.64” × 1.89” × 1.34”

Main crystal size: 5.7 × 2.2 cm = 2.24” × 0.87”

JFD244AQ1: This Quartz floater crystal is very flat, doubly terminated, and with recrystallized faces, and on it grow very aerial, sharp crystals of Fluorapatite.
A typical Panasqueira piece, but without the little dings that they usually have there.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (±1995)

Specimen size: 4.8 × 4 × 1.9 cm = 1.89” × 1.57” × 0.75”

Main crystal size: 1.2 × 1.1 cm = 0.47” × 0.43”

JFD245AQ1: Nice group of Fluorapatite crystals with the center of the crystals exhibiting images of circular growth of darker color, which are locally called “olho de bou” (bull's eyes).
With Siderite and Muscovite on the matrix, both slightly coated by Chlorite.
A showy and exceptionally well preserved piece.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (±1970)

Specimen size: 7 × 5.6 × 2.8 cm = 2.76” × 2.20” × 1.10”

Main crystal size: 2.3 × 1.6 cm = 0.91” × 0.63”

JFD235AQ0: Elegant, very fine, a delight! These prolific Portuguese quarries yield many specimens of Calcite and sometimes even with large crystals, but few as graceful as this one, which must have been why Alain Martaud had appreciated it at one time.
Cruz dos Meninos Quarry, Santa Maria, Estremoz, Évora District, Alentejo Region  Portugal

Specimen size: 8.5 × 7.6 × 4.1 cm = 3.35” × 2.99” × 1.61”

Main crystal size: 1.7 × 1.4 cm = 0.67” × 0.55”

JFD215AP6: So many fluorapatites in Panasqueira... sometimes charming, sometimes with important differences between them. This one, in addition to having a good color, is 'architectural', with many crystals of various sizes that grow capriciously. With small crystals of Siderite.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (±1991)

Specimen size: 3.9 × 2.8 × 2.9 cm = 1.54” × 1.10” × 1.14”

Main crystal size: 1.9 × 1.6 cm = 0.75” × 0.63”

JFD214AP6: Small but very nice piece. The Fluorapatite is very well positioned among the Quartz crystals and is accompanied by small, completely transparent Calcite crystals, which complete this old classic from Panasqueira.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (±1986)

Specimen size: 4.2 × 2.7 × 3.4 cm = 1.65” × 1.06” × 1.34”

Main crystal size: 1 × 1 cm = 0.39” × 0.39”

JFD200AP4: As those familiar with the deposit know, Panasqueira pyrites can be very good. This piece is a good example of this, with the crystal aggregate forming a very aerial pineapple on a Quartz matrix completely covered by small Calcite-Dolomite crystals and with the mold of another Quartz crystal on the back.
Everything is quite perfect, without any dings, which is not very common in Panasqueira where, due to the operating conditions, it is very difficult to prevent pieces from being damaged.
Luminous and showy, a very good Pyrite.
Minas da Panasqueira, level 2, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (1992)

Specimen size: 9.8 × 6.8 × 6.3 cm = 3.86” × 2.68” × 2.48”

JFD155AO7: Look out! A specimen like this is rare in Panasqueira. Sphalerite is not usually found there in good specimens, but moreover, when it is, it is almost always associated with other sulphides, which yields less luminous groups. In this case, the association with Fluorapatite, well crystallized and with a fibrous appearance, and Muscovite with a good color, results in a very unusual specimen, a real curiosity for those who specialise in this mine.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (±2005)

Specimen size: 10.4 × 6.6 × 3.7 cm = 4.09” × 2.60” × 1.46”

JFD153AO7: Panasqueira pyrites are unmistakable. It is curious that such a common mineral can be assigned to one locality in such a recognizable way. Flattened cubes, rich in faces, with Calcite-Dolomite in many cases and that brass-like color, from ancient ore.
It is nice what they call the pyrites in Panasqueira when they have this type of tones or they are oxidized: 'ferruginadas'
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (1989)

Specimen size: 9.2 × 8.3 × 3.1 cm = 3.62” × 3.27” × 1.22”

Main crystal size: 0.6 × 0.4 cm = 0.24” × 0.16”

JFD102AO2: An important piece. The Quartz is a floater, with recrystallizations on both sides and, hanging from it, a beautiful group of very isolated Fluorite cubes with dodecahedron faces on their edges and an intense blue color. The most remarkable thing about this piece, apart from the fact that it was in a very important French collection, is the fact that it is not from the more recent Fluorite finds there, but is much older, from the year 2000 approximately. Back then this was one of the best fluorites ever found in Panasqueira…
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal

Specimen size: 11.4 × 5.7 × 5.9 cm = 4.49” × 2.24” × 2.32”

Main crystal size: 1.6 × 1.5 cm = 0.63” × 0.59”

JFD77AO0: A great specimen of Fluorapatite, very perfect, a floater, with very good colour, zoning, and outstandingly sharp and lustrous.
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (±1989)

Specimen size: 8.4 × 6 × 3.3 cm = 3.31” × 2.36” × 1.30”

Main crystal size: 1.7 × 1.5 cm = 0.67” × 0.59”

JFD75AO0: When I bought this very unusual piece I had many illusions because of its alleged rarity and, as often happens, analyses demolished my illusions. It's a Pyrite, just Pyrite, but it's weird as hell, right?
Minas da Panasqueira, Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Cova da Beira, Centro  Portugal (±1988)

Specimen size: 7.1 × 3.9 × 3.7 cm = 2.80” × 1.54” × 1.46”

Main crystal size: 3.1 × 2.6 cm = 1.22” × 1.02”

JFD246AQ1: A great French classic with a very majestic, thick and shiny Cassiterite crystal. The crystal does not have any matrix, but its base is clearly recrystallized, so the piece could be considered a floater, which added to the fact that its upper termination is perfect, makes it stand out from most of those seen from there.
In short: high quality and very unusual.
La Villeder, Le Roc-Saint-André, Vannes, Morbihan, Brittany/Bretagne  France (±1900)

Specimen size: 4.8 × 3.7 × 3.8 cm = 1.89” × 1.46” × 1.50”

JFD231AP9: Le Beix is a mythical name in French mineralogy. Unlike those of Puy-Saint-Gulmier, not all the fluorites from Le Beix are deep blue, but some, like this one, attract attention due to the intensity of the blue, and even more for the contrast of the color between these crystals and their white Quartz matrix.
It comes from an old collection, like the vast majority of the few pieces that come on the market. Nothing is found there anymore.
Le Beix Mine, Saint-Germain-près-Herment, Herment, Clermont-Ferrand District, Puy-de-Dôme Department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes  France

Specimen size: 9.5 × 7.4 × 5.8 cm = 3.74” × 2.91” × 2.28”

Main crystal size: 1.5 × 1 cm = 0.59” × 0.39”

JFD196AP3: Its form is a luxury. The Quartz crystal is long and has a deep twist enabling us to imagine it as a very showy arch, even more so for being on a kind of natural base, also formed of Quartz. Of all the Alpine finds in the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne area, this one stands out for its attractive deformity.
Le Noirey, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes  France (1980)

Specimen size: 11.7 × 7.7 × 4.6 cm = 4.61” × 3.03” × 1.81”

Main crystal size: 11.2 × 2.3 cm = 4.41” × 0.91”

JFD247AQ1: One of the first fluorites to be seen from El Hamman, this piece found and purchased in the year 1985 already pointed to what that mine later demonstrated: intense color, extraordinary fluorescence under UV light, and staggered growths, often fringed by crystals of Quartz.
El Hammam, Ait Mimoune, Khémisset Province, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Region  Morocco (1985)

Specimen size: 8.5 × 7.6 × 3.8 cm = 3.35” × 2.99” × 1.50”

JFD248AQ1: For a short time during the year 2005 these titanites in Microcline were being found in the Imilchil area. I really liked them because of the contrast between the Titanite and the Microcline, and because the Titanite crystals were almost always very isolated, so I bought many pieces from that find. Among all of them this was one of the ones I selected, precisely because of the good contrast between the Titanite and the Microcline.
Imilchil area, Anti-Atlas, Er Rachidia Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (02/2005)

Specimen size: 9.6 × 6.6 × 4.5 cm = 3.78” × 2.60” × 1.77”

Main crystal size: 1.1 × 1 cm = 0.43” × 0.39”

JFD249AQ1: In the 1980s-1990s little was known about these well-crystallized goethites from Tizirine-Sidi Rahal, which used to be labeled “Pyrolusite”, because their main seller, Infles Abdullah, had his basar near the Imini manganese mine.
Later it was learned that the crystals were pleochroic and when analyzed were confirmed to be goethites.
This fine piece comes from that glorious period, associated with a group of Calcite crystals, although Calcite, curiously, is a species that is not abundant in these vugs.
Sidi Rahal, El Kelaâ des Sraghna Province, Marrakech-Safi Region  Morocco (±1980)

Specimen size: 12.5 × 10.2 × 5.6 cm = 4.92” × 4.02” × 2.20”

Main crystal size: 1 × 0.9 cm = 0.39” × 0.35”

JFD250AQ1: This is the last piece of my collection that I propose for sale to the public, since this is the end of the
journey for Fabre Minerals. That is why I wanted piece no. 250 of my collection to be a special piece, of great quality, and what could be more special than one of the legendary anglesites from Touissit, undoubtedly the best in the world.
This one has superb color, the crystal is large and it is in very good condition, as are all the smaller crystals around it. As the crystal is so centered in its Galena matrix you have to display it by turning the piece a little so that it can be seen better and you can appreciate its exceptional luster and the darker colored interior inclusions.
I am aware that I am describing it in a very superlative way, but, what can I do, it is the last piece of my collection that I am offering and I have tried to make this farewell piece a really special piece.
Shaft IX (Puit IX), Touissit, Touissit District, Jerada Province, Oriental Region  Morocco (1989)

Specimen size: 9.1 × 9 × 6.3 cm = 3.58” × 3.54” × 2.48”

Main crystal size: 6 × 2 cm = 2.36” × 0.79”

JFD230AP9: One of the first proustites that arrived from Imiter. They did not have the crystal size that was seen later, but they were very red and with sharp crystals. They were the forerunners.
Imiter Mine, Jebel Saghro, Imiter District, Tinghir Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (2003)

Specimen size: 7.7 × 4.7 × 2.9 cm = 3.03” × 1.85” × 1.14”

Main crystal size: 0.2 × 0.1 cm = 0.08” × 0.04”

JFD221AP7: Many isolated crystals of Roselite, without cracks or damage, of good size and luster, and with the “fresh” matrix Calcite showing no etching or corrosion.
The size of the piece and its matrix-crystal ratio are in excellent balance, and thus all seems to be in its place in this great piece, and with the intense color of the Roselite being the cherry on the cake.
Agoudal Mines, Tansifite, Agdz, Bou Azzer mining district, Zagora Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (2013)

Specimen size: 6 × 4.8 × 4.2 cm = 2.36” × 1.89” × 1.65”

Main crystal size: 0.6 × 0.5 cm = 0.24” × 0.20”

JFD219AP7: Their color and sharpness characterize Touissit azurites, as well as their reddish to orange Dolomite matrix.
This crystal, very isolated, combines all that is expected for this locality, and, for its size, synthesizes the virtues for which these azurites are famous.
Touissit mining area, Touissit District, Jerada Province, Oriental Region  Morocco (±1985)

Specimen size: 4.6 × 3.5 × 2.3 cm = 1.81” × 1.38” × 0.91”

Main crystal size: 0.9 × 0.5 cm = 0.35” × 0.20”

JFD216AP6: I have already said at other times that the 'basaristes' of Morocco had a prominent role in the development of the mineral trade that exists in that country. I acquired this piece in 1984 when Touissit was in its splendor, and I bought it from one of the basaristes in Asni, a town located about 1000 km away from Touissit! The small town of Asni would have had about 7,000 inhabitants at that time, and despite so few people there was already a large group of mineral vendors who, in their precarious 'basars', offered pieces from remote locations, sometimes as good as this one. If I hadn't experienced it myself, I would have a hard time believing it.
Touissit mining area, Touissit District, Jerada Province, Oriental Region  Morocco (±1984)

Specimen size: 4.6 × 3.5 × 2.7 cm = 1.81” × 1.38” × 1.06”

Main crystal size: 2.7 × 2.1 cm = 1.06” × 0.83”

JFD211AP5: Always in search of something different, this piece moved me because it is so different from the usual in Mefis, which yields very large crystals, even enormous ones, but, although they can be sharp, they always tend to be somewhat 'rough'. Finding something elegant and delicate from there, like this group of crystals, is really rare.
Mefis, Taouz, Er Rachidia Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (04/2014)

Specimen size: 10.8 × 10 × 4.2 cm = 4.25” × 3.94” × 1.65”

Main crystal size: 3 × 2 cm = 1.18” × 0.79”

JFD210AP5: Like a feather, this 'stalactitic' growth of Vanadinite crystals rises gracefully, forming a special piece.
So many vanadinites, but from time to time one still surprises us...
Mibladen (Mibladen mining district), Midelt, Midelt Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (±2002)

Specimen size: 7.2 × 6.3 × 4.2 cm = 2.83” × 2.48” × 1.65”

JFD171AO9: This is the first piece from my personal display cases that I put up for sale. I didn't think I would ever sell any of them as they aren't “duplicates”, but in life you never know and recently I got another specimen that has replaced this one and consequently it goes directly from the collection display to this page.
It comes from the discoveries made in 2009 in the number 15 vein of Tadaout in Taouz, that are characterized by the presence of Siderite at the base of the Vanadinite crystals, which in turn are characterized by their fan-like habit and also by their good color and luster.
Tadaout, vein 15, Taouz, Er Rachidia Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (01/2009)

Specimen size: 14.1 × 8.3 × 6.3 cm = 5.55” × 3.27” × 2.48”

Main crystal size: 0.7 × 0.6 cm = 0.28” × 0.24”

JFD166AO8: This very old Smithsonite is quite different from those found later. The color and luster are excellent and show us what this great mine was like in its early days. I remember we searched a lot before we were able to locate the mine, like ‘explorers’ in the wild and wonderful country that Morocco was then.
Touissit, Touissit District, Jerada Province, Oriental Region  Morocco (±1977)

Specimen size: 9.6 × 9.2 × 6.2 cm = 3.78” × 3.62” × 2.44”

JFD164AO8: These came out for a brief period and then were never seen again.
Their luster and sharpness are of high quality, but the color is not very attractive... until they are illuminated with an intense light and then, what color!
Bouismas Mine, Agdz, Bou Azzer mining district, Zagora Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (2016)

Specimen size: 5.6 × 4.3 × 4.2 cm = 2.20” × 1.69” × 1.65”

Main crystal size: 3.2 × 2.3 cm = 1.26” × 0.91”

JFD135AO5: With a bad reputation for containing a lot of mercury (kongsbergite variety), if carefully protected from light they do not turn black and they retain that slightly reddish tone so characteristic of Imiter. With some matrix, very good size and that arborescent appearance, it is still a remarkable specimen despite the 32 years that have passed since it was found and I bought it.
Imiter Mine, Jebel Saghro, Imiter District, Tinghir Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (1990)

Specimen size: 13.3 × 9.5 × 2.9 cm = 5.24” × 3.74” × 1.14”

JFD123AO4: Good crystal size, good luster, and Calcite - which proves that the piece has not been acid-cleaned. I understand that this is why, despite having been found in 1994, it is still impeccable, with no signs of aging.
Bou Azzer Mine, Bou Azzer mining district, Ouarzazate Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (±1990)

Specimen size: 6.2 × 5.1 × 4.5 cm = 2.44” × 2.01” × 1.77”

Main crystal size: 2.1 × 1.4 cm = 0.83” × 0.55”

JFD105AO2: Large Skutterudite crystal that has kept its luster well all these years. The best skutterudites in the world are those from Bou Azzer, and those from the Bou Azzer Mine proper, like this one, were and continue to be a reference standard for museums and collectors around the world.
Bou Azzer Mine, Bou Azzer mining district, Ouarzazate Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (1988)

Specimen size: 5.8 × 5.6 × 4.8 cm = 2.28” × 2.20” × 1.89”

Main crystal size: 3.1 × 2 cm = 1.22” × 0.79”

JFD104AO2: One of the first well-crystallized acanthites seen from Imiter. Although specimens with sharper crystals came out later, this Acanthite is not bad at all as it is well accompanied by groups of small pink Calcite rhombohedra.
Imiter Mine, Jebel Saghro, Imiter District, Tinghir Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (2007)

Specimen size: 4.4 × 4 × 3.1  cm = 1.73” × 1.57” × 1.22”

Main crystal size: 2.4 × 1.1 cm = 0.94” × 0.43”

JFD103AO2: Nice association of Azurite, Malachite, Cerussite and Wulfenite. The quality and type of Azurite crystal shows that it is from Touissit, a locality where Azurite with such a variety of associated species was not common at all.
Shaft IX (Puit IX), Touissit, Touissit District, Jerada Province, Oriental Region  Morocco (1994)

Specimen size: 4.4 × 3.7 × 2.3 cm = 1.73” × 1.46” × 0.91”

Main crystal size: 2.4 × 0.6 cm = 0.94” × 0.24”

JFD84AO0: Very interesting specimen for this mine because the very aesthetic Calcite crystals sit on large Baryte crystals coated by what look like orange iron oxides and are accompanied by small Pyrite crystals. Baryte is not a common mineral in El Hammam, I have rarely seen it there, much less in large crystals as in this case. As sometimes happens, I didn't buy it in Morocco but in Tucson 2009, from the Moroccan Ahmed Es Seouani.
El Hammam, Ait Mimoune, Khémisset Province, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Region  Morocco (11/2008)

Specimen size: 9 × 8.2 × 7.7 cm = 3.54” × 3.23” × 3.03”

Main crystal size: 1.7 × 1.4 cm = 0.67” × 0.55”

JFD82AO0: The Bou Nahas mine produced many pyrites and barytes early in its history. Out of so much material I chose this piece, with the Baryte crystal isolated on the Quartz and with a slight bluish central thread unlike the first barytes from there, which had more yellow tones.
Bou Nahas Mine, Oumjrane mining area, Alnif Commune, Tinghir Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (12/2011)

Specimen size: 6.3 × 5.1 × 4.7 cm = 2.48” × 2.01” × 1.85”

Main crystal size: 4.3 × 2.8 cm = 1.69” × 1.10”

JFD80AO0: Less famous than Touissit or Mibladen, Taouz cerussites can be attractive too. In this case, although the very aerial crystals are small, their snow-white color contrasts with the dark matrix in which there are small Quartz crystals with inclusions of iron oxides.
Taouz, Er Rachidia Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (±1990)

Specimen size: 6.4 × 3.7 × 2 cm = 2.52” × 1.46” × 0.79”

Main crystal size: 0.9 × 0.8 cm = 0.35” × 0.31”

JFD63AN9: Touissit is well known for its secondary lead minerals but is less known as a world class locality for copper secondaries, and yet I believe that some of its best azurites would be among the top ten azurites in the world. They tend to have good sharp crystals, like this one, and occasionally exhibit an excellent luster, as is also the case here. The size of the crystals is not very large, but they sit on a white matrix that gives a nice color contrast.
I bought it to the always precise and always affable Hmani Ali, at his home in Oujda.
Touissit, Touissit District, Jerada Province, Oriental Region  Morocco (±1996)

Specimen size: 4 × 3.6 × 3.5 cm = 1.57” × 1.42” × 1.38”

Main crystal size: 1.4 × 1.2 cm = 0.55” × 0.47”

JFD43AK6: Groups of fine Proustite crystals of prismatic habit, with excellent prismatic terminations. The crystals, transparent, and with an extraordinary bright ruby-red color with mauve tones, sit on a Calcite matrix. This specimen, from one of the first finds of this type of Proustite in 2013, comes from the Jordi Fabre collection.
We’ll send to the buyer both Jordi Fabre collection labels, the original label (F2136) as well as the Internet label (JFD43)
Bouismas Mine, Agdz, Bou Azzer mining district, Zagora Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region  Morocco (2013)

Specimen size: 8.2 × 5.2 × 3.3 cm = 3.23” × 2.05” × 1.30”

Main crystal size: 1 × 0.4 cm = 0.39” × 0.16”

JFD41AF3: Single Chalcostibite crystal with a flattened prismatic shape, finely striated and with good upper terminal faces. It is on matrix and is coated and partially substituted by Azurite and, to a lesser extent, Malachite.
The sample is from the Jordi Fabre collection (number F1287) and it was previously acquired at Sainte Marie-aux-Mines from Alberto Ancillotti, who rediscovered the Chalcostibites (as collectible samples) at their classic type locality, Rhar el Anz, between the eighties and the nineties.
We’ll send to the buyer both Jordi Fabre collection labels, the original label (F1287) as well as the Internet label (JFD41)
Rar el Anz, Oued Cherrat (Cherrat Wadi), Chaouia-Ouardigha, Casablanca Prefecture, Casablanca-Settat Region  Morocco (06/1994)

Specimen size: 4.1 × 4 × 2.8 cm = 1.61” × 1.57” × 1.10”

Main crystal size: 2.5 × 1.4 cm = 0.98” × 0.55”

JFD29AN6: It's been a long time since these unique prehnites were seen for the first time, from a remote locality in the deep South of Morocco. Due to the difficulties caused by being close to the border, the work was abandoned and, although pieces from this locality reappear sporadically due to individual adventures, it has never become a classic Moroccan locality despite the fact that it could easily qualify due to the richness of what is apparently there.
Jebel Melh, Bou Arfa, Figuig Province, Oriental Region  Morocco (1995)

Specimen size: 13.7 × 9.8 × 9.9 cm = 5.39” × 3.86” × 3.90”