EGH62AO8: A novelty from Ste. Marie 2022. Group of very sharp Calcite crystals, one of them very aerial, dominantly flattened and with a contact twin of very well defined crystal forms. Transparent and uniform yellow.
The specimen comes from a well-known but little-disclosed locality in the Canary Islands in which no finds of this type had been previously made.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 2.8 × 2.5 × 1.4 cm = 1.10” × 0.98” × 0.55”

Main crystal size: 2.5 × 1.5 cm = 0.98” × 0.59”

XM290EFT: A novelty at Sainte-Marie 2022
Pair of very flattened and sharp Calcite crystals, with a light yellow color, displaying a very unusual contact twin.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 3.8 × 3.3 × 0.5 cm = 1.50” × 1.30” × 0.20”

TFB14AQ0: Contact twin, floater and complete, of two very sharp Calcite crystals, very aerial, flattened and with very sharp crystal forms. transparent and a uniform yellow color. The specimen comes from a well-known but little publicized Canary Island locality from which no such finds had been made before.
Alain Martaud had kept it for his personal collection, from the selection he made when he first got these very unusual calcites. We will send the Alain's collection label to the buyer of the piece.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 4 × 1.7 × 0.3 cm = 1.57” × 0.67” × 0.12”

EPQ12AO8: A novelty from Ste. Marie 2022. Group of Calcite crystals with very sharp crystal forms, with very acute scalenohedra and pinacoid terminations, transparent and with a uniform yellow color.
The specimen comes from a well-known but little-disclosed locality in the Canary Islands in which no finds of this type had been made previously.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 4.3 × 3.8 × 2.3 cm = 1.69” × 1.50” × 0.91”

Main crystal size: 4.3 × 1 cm = 1.69” × 0.39”

TFG6AQ0: Contact twin, floater and complete, of two very sharp Calcite crystals, very aerial, flattened and with very sharp crystal forms. transparent and a uniform yellow color. The specimen comes from a well-known but little publicized Canary Island locality from which no such finds had been made before.
Alain Martaud had kept it for his personal collection, from the selection he made when he first got these very unusual calcites. We will send the Alain's collection label to the buyer of the piece.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 4.4 × 2.3 × 0.3 cm = 1.73” × 0.91” × 0.12”

EMB11AO8: A novelty from Ste. Marie 2022. Group of Calcite crystals with very sharp crystal forms, with very acute scalenohedra and pinacoid terminations, transparent and with a uniform yellow color.
The specimen comes from a well-known but little-disclosed locality in the Canary Islands in which no finds of this type had been made previously.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 4.5 × 2 × 1.6 cm = 1.77” × 0.79” × 0.63”

Main crystal size: 4.5 × 0.8 cm = 1.77” × 0.31”

XM290EYR: A novelty at Sainte-Marie 2022
Very flattened and sharp crystal of Calcite with a light yellow hue, showing a juxtaposed twin that is reminiscent of gypsum crystals with the swallowtail habit.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 4.8 × 1.5 × 0.3 cm = 1.89” × 0.59” × 0.12”

EPA62AO8: A novelty from Ste. Marie 2022. Complete floater contact twin of two very sharp Calcite crystals, very aerial, flattened and with very well defined crystal shapes. Transparent and uniform yellow.
The specimen comes from a well-known but little-disclosed locality in the Canary Islands in which no finds of this type had been made previously.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 5 × 1.8 × 0.3 cm = 1.97” × 0.71” × 0.12”

EPB62AO8: A novelty from Ste. Marie 2022. Complete floater contact twin of two very sharp Calcite crystals, very aerial, flattened and with very well defined crystal shapes. Transparent and uniform yellow. The specimen comes from a well-known but little-disclosed locality in the Canary Islands in which no finds of this type had been made previously.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 5 × 2 × 0.3 cm = 1.97” × 0.79” × 0.12”

EHM63AO8: A novelty from Ste. Marie 2022. Group of Calcite crystals with very sharp crystal forms, with very acute scalenohedra and pinacoid terminations, transparent and with a uniform yellow color.
The specimen comes from a well-known but little-disclosed locality in the Canary Islands in which no finds of this type had been made previously.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 5.1 × 2.4 × 2.2 cm = 2.01” × 0.94” × 0.87”

Main crystal size: 5.1 × 1.1 cm = 2.01” × 0.43”

EFF62AO8: A novelty from Ste. Marie 2022. Group of Calcite crystals with very sharp crystal forms, with very acute scalenohedra and pinacoid terminations, transparent and with a uniform yellow color.
The specimen comes from a well-known but little-disclosed locality in the Canary Islands in which no finds of this type had been made previously.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 5.1 × 2.8 × 2.5 cm = 2.01” × 1.10” × 0.98”

Main crystal size: 4.1 × 0.7 cm = 1.61” × 0.28”

XM290EXM: A novelty at Sainte-Marie 2022
Very flattened and sharp crystal of Calcite showing a contact twin that creates the interior reticulation observed thanks to the translucency of the light yellow crystal.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 5.3 × 1.5 × 0.3 cm = 2.09” × 0.59” × 0.12”

TBF46AQ0: Two contact twins, one of them clearly dominant, a complete floater of very sharp Calcite crystals, very aerial and flattened. Transparent and a uniform yellow color. The specimen comes from a known but little publicized Canary Island locality from which previously no finds of this type had been made.
Alain Martaud had kept it in his personal collection, from the selection he made when he first got these very unusual calcites. We will send the Alain's collection label to the buyer of the piece.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 5.4 × 2.8 × 1 cm = 2.13” × 1.10” × 0.39”

Main crystal size: 5 × 1.9 cm = 1.97” × 0.75”

XM2110EBE: A novelty at Sainte-Marie 2022
Two Calcite crystals, one of them clearly dominant and doubly terminated, with sharp crystal forms showing acute scalenohedron and pinacoid terminations, transparent and yellow in color, with polycrystalline terminations at the base.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 5.6 × 1.9 × 1.7 cm = 2.20” × 0.75” × 0.67”

Main crystal size: 5.3 × 1.6 cm = 2.09” × 0.63”

THF66AQ0: Crystal group, on matrix, of contact twins of Calcite, complete, very aerial and with very sharp crystal forms. Transparent and a uniform yellow color. The specimen comes from a well-known but not very publicized locality in the Canary Islands, where previously no such finds had been made.
Alain Martaud had kept it in his personal collection, from the selection he made when he first got these very unusual calcites. We will send the Alain's collection label to the buyer of the piece.
De Tasarte Ravine, La Aldea de San Nicolás, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Province, Canary Islands  Spain (12/2021)

Specimen size: 6.1 × 4.4 × 2.7 cm = 2.40” × 1.73” × 1.06”

Main crystal size: 3.8 × 0.7 cm = 1.50” × 0.28”

JJA37AP8: Druse, on matrix with Pyrite, of cubo-octahedral Galena crystals, with both crystal forms being in very balanced growth.
This high-quality specimen comes from the collection of Andrés Jiménez Shelly, and was previously in José Ramón García's.
La Cuerre Mine, La Florida mining area, Rionansa-Herrerías, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (1988)

Specimen size: 4.7 × 4.4 × 4.1 cm = 1.85” × 1.73” × 1.61”

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

SV2120NFM: Group of Galena crystals with dominant cube forms, with the vertices truncated by octahedron faces, with small remnants of honey-colored Sphalerite and whitish lenticular and curved crystals of Dolomite.
Comes from a mining district where zinc and lead were exploited from Sphalerite and Galena ores respectively.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 6.3 × 5.3 × 4.7 cm = 2.48” × 2.09” × 1.85”

N10KH5: Small prismatic crystals of Hemimorphite, dark brown, very sharp and bright, partially covered by a bed of spheroidal groups of white Hydrozincite.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (1997)

Specimen size: 6.8 × 5.5 × 6 cm = 2.68” × 2.17” × 2.36”

Main crystal size: 0.4 × 0.3 cm = 0.16” × 0.12”

NG56I7: A classic specimen from the Nieves Mine, Viérnoles, Cantabria, not well known. The Baryte is in tabular crystals, some of them doubly terminated, and they have simple forms and are partially covered by small doubly-terminated crystals of Quartz.
Nieves Mine, Monte Dobra, Viérnoles, Torrelavega, Comarca Besaya, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 8.6 × 7 × 4.8 cm = 3.39” × 2.76” × 1.89”

Main crystal size: 6.4 × 2.1 cm = 2.52” × 0.83”

XM290NTA: Group of Sulphur crystals, on matrix, with a uniform lemon-yellow color, with well-defined faces and edges and with the bipyramidal habit characteristic of the species. The specimen comes from a small classic site on the Cantabrian coast of Spain, Aila in Laredo, from which it is not easy to obtain quality specimens nowadays.
Outcrop El Aila, El Aila (La Lastra), Laredo, Comarca Costa Oriental, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 6.5 × 4.5 × 3.4 cm = 2.56” × 1.77” × 1.34”

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

XM90NF: A novelty at MineralExpo Sants (Barcelona) 2017: Aggregate of Smithsonite pseudomorphs after scalenohedral Calcite crystals, with a color between brown and yellow, partially covered by small white Hemimorphite crystals. Both the Smithsonite and Hemimorphite have been analyzed and we will send a copy of the analyses to the buyer.
Herrerías area, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2016)

Specimen size: 6.8 × 6.4 × 3.1 cm = 2.68” × 2.52” × 1.22”

Main crystal size: 4.2 × 2 cm = 1.65” × 0.79”

NH13AF0: A novelty at MineralExpo Sants (Barcelona) 2017. Smithsonite replacing Calcite crystals. It is yellowish and partially coated by small white Hemimorphite crystals. Both the Smithsonite and the Hemimorphite have been analyzed and we’ll send a copy of the analyses to the buyer.
Moriazo Mine, Casamaría, Herrerías, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2016)

Specimen size: 6.4 × 3.9 × 3.2 cm = 2.52” × 1.54” × 1.26”

Main crystal size: 1.7 × 0.8 cm = 0.67” × 0.31”

NH7AE8: A novelty at MineralExpo Sants (Barcelona) 2017. Aggregate of Smithsonite replacing and partially coating Calcite crystals. Its color is between brown and yellow and it is, in turn, partially coated by small white Hemimorphite crystals. Both the Smithsonite and the Hemimorphite have been analyzed and we’ll send a copy of the analyses to the buyer.
Moriazo Mine, Casamaría, Herrerías, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2016)

Specimen size: 7.1 × 6.9 × 3.7 cm = 2.80” × 2.72” × 1.46”

Main crystal size: 6.5 × 4.5 cm = 2.56” × 1.77”

NV86AE8: A novelty at MineralExpo Sants (Barcelona) 2017. Aggregate of Smithsonite replacing and partially coating Calcite crystals. It is yellowish and partially coated by small white Hemimorphite crystals. Both the Smithsonite and the Hemimorphite have been analyzed and we’ll send a copy of the analyses to the buyer.
Moriazo Mine, Casamaría, Herrerías, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2016)

Specimen size: 8 × 5.5 × 3.7 cm = 3.15” × 2.17” × 1.46”

Main crystal size: 2.9 × 2.1 cm = 1.14” × 0.83”

ND10X7: Aggregates of complex equant crystals, translucent, bright, and with a very deep dark honey color. On matrix, with Calcite and small Quartz crystals. It has been discovered in a recent find at an abandoned mine, well known for Calcite and Baryte and now offering these Sphalerite samples of very much better quality than all previously known.
María Jesús Mine (Lobeto Mine), Sol Viejo, Cabanzón, Herrerías, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2012-2013)

Specimen size: 5.2 × 3.8 × 3.3 cm = 2.05” × 1.50” × 1.30”

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

NZ61X7: Aggregate of complex equant crystals, translucent, bright, and with a very deep dark honey color. They are on matrix with white scalenohedral Calcite crystals and small Quartz crystals. It has been discovered in a recent find on an abandoned mine, well known for Calcite and Baryte and now offering this Sphalerite samples of very much better quality than all previously known.
María Jesús Mine (Lobeto Mine), Sol Viejo, Cabanzón, Herrerías, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2012-2013)

Specimen size: 6.7 × 4.3 × 3.2 cm = 2.64” × 1.69” × 1.26”

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

NG64X7: Aggregate of complex equant crystals, translucent, bright, and with a very deep dark honey color. They are on matrix, with white scalenohedral Calcite crystals. It has been discovered in a recent find on an abandoned mine, well known for Calcite and Baryte and now offering this Sphalerite samples of very much better quality than all previously known.
María Jesús Mine (Lobeto Mine), Sol Viejo, Cabanzón, Herrerías, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2012-2013)

Specimen size: 7.7 × 5.8 × 4.5 cm = 3.03” × 2.28” × 1.77”

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

NG37AM1: Octahedral Galena crystals with the vertices cut by cube faces, very well defined, lustrous and on matrix with spheroidal growths of small crystals of Sphalerite and small crystals of Marcasite. Different from what you usually see from this locality.
Reocín Mine, Reocín, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 12.3 × 8.6 × 6.4 cm = 4.84” × 3.39” × 2.52”

Main crystal size: 0.5 × 0.4 cm = 0.20” × 0.16”

JXP56AP8: Groups of very elongated acicular crystals of Cerussite with “jackstraw” habit, with a satiny luster, white color, on matrix.
The specimen, a rarity, comes from the collection of Andrés Jiménez Shelly, and was previously in that of Carlos Prieto Paramio.
Reocín Mine, El Zanjón cut, Reocín, Comarca Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 3.2 × 3 × 2.1 cm = 1.26” × 1.18” × 0.83”

Main crystal size: 2.1 × 0.2 cm = 0.83” × 0.08”

NR8L6: A Spanish novelty. In a vug mainly formed by altered Chalcopyrite and Quartz are disposed groups of fibrous Malachite with a brilliant velvet aspect that contrasts with the matrix. Excellent miniature.
Soto copper Mines (De La Presura Mines), Soto, Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, Comarca Campoo-Los Valles, Cantabria  Spain (04/2008)

Specimen size: 4 × 2.7 × 2.8 cm = 1.57” × 1.06” × 1.10”

Main crystal size: 0.8 × 0.5 cm = 0.31” × 0.20”

NRM14AQ0: Complex twinned crystal of Calcite with the dominant forms of a scalenohedron, transparent, with white inclusions in some of the faces, on matrix, with an earlier generation of white rhombohedral crystals.
The specimen comes from the Antonino Bueno collection, whose label we will send to the buyer.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), level 2, Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (2006)

Specimen size: 7.9 × 6.7 × 4.5 cm = 3.11” × 2.64” × 1.77”

Main crystal size: 2.3 × 1.4 cm = 0.91” × 0.55”

NK63AD2: Doubly terminated scalenohedral Calcite crystal, transparent, bright, with a clear yellow color, with inclusions and implanted on a matrix of pink Dolomite.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (±2000)

Specimen size: 5.6 × 5.9 × 2.1 cm = 2.20” × 2.32” × 0.83”

Main crystal size: 3.7 × 2.1 cm = 1.46” × 0.83”

ND47AD2: Complex Calcite crystals, rounded, with the dominant forms of a scalenohedron and a flattened rhombohedron, transparent, bright, with a yellow color and on a rocky matrix with pink Dolomite.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (±2006)

Specimen size: 6.8 × 6.2 × 4 cm = 2.68” × 2.44” × 1.57”

Main crystal size: 4.3 × 3.7 cm = 1.69” × 1.46”

NE16V5: Floater doubly terminated crystal, transparent, with yellow color and rich in faces. The predominating forms are the scalenohedron with and a shallow rhombohedron on the terminations. Some Dolomite is attached to the back side.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 7 × 4.4 × 3.7 cm = 2.76” × 1.73” × 1.46”

NFB6AP3: Two complex rounded Calcite crystals with dominant scalenohedron, rhombohedron and prism forms. They are transparent, with good luster and a pale yellow color, and sit on matrix with white rhombohedral Dolomite crystals.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (2009)

Specimen size: 7 × 4.8 × 2.6 cm = 2.76” × 1.89” × 1.02”

Main crystal size: 2.3 × 1.9 cm = 0.91” × 0.75”

NB68AC7: The single crystal is very complex with many faces, among which are sharp rhombohedra and shortened scalenohedra giving it an equant shape. It has a very visible and very well defined contact twin and the transparency, brilliance and position on the Dolomite matrix are all great. The locality is now completely lost because it is impossible to access it.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (±2006)

Specimen size: 7.7 × 6.8 × 3.2 cm = 3.03” × 2.68” × 1.26”

Main crystal size: 3.2 × 2.8 cm = 1.26” × 1.10”

NB77AC6: The crystal is very complex with many faces, among which the sharp rhombohedra and shortened scalenohedra stand out, giving it an equant shape. Above all the uniform yellow color, the transparency, brilliance and position on the Dolomite matrix are great. The locality is now completely lost because it is impossible to access it.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (±2007)

Specimen size: 9.8 × 8 × 4.6 cm = 3.86” × 3.15” × 1.81”

Main crystal size: 3.4 × 2.8 cm = 1.34” × 1.10”

NC29AM1: Complex Calcite crystal, very rich in crystalline forms, with the scalenohedron and the terminal rhombohedron dominating. Transparent, with good luster, yellow in color, on a rock matrix covered with small pinkish crystals of Dolomite.
La Florida mining area, Herrería-Valdáliga-Rionansa, Comarca Costa Occidental/Saja-Nansa, Cantabria  Spain (±2006)

Specimen size: 11.8 × 10.7 × 4.4 cm = 4.65” × 4.21” × 1.73”

Main crystal size: 5.8 × 2.3 cm = 2.28” × 0.91”

ND11M3: Translucent Sphalerite crystal with tones clearer than usual with some curved faces other flattened ones. Faces are partially covered by Dolomite crystals.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 2.6 × 2.2 × 1.5 cm = 1.02” × 0.87” × 0.59”

NB14S0: Group of crystals with very well defined faces and edges, very bright, transparent, and its color is yellow with very well defined greenish shades. The color is very unusual and different from the more common yellow or orange on most of the samples from this locality.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 3.1 × 2.9 × 2 cm = 1.22” × 1.14” × 0.79”

NG37AJ8: Sphalerite crystals with complex but unusually well defined forms for the locality. They are bright, very transparent and have a very intense and uniform honey yellow color. On matrix with small white rhombohedral Dolomite crystals. A small jewel from Las Mánforas that comes from the Carlos González Bargueño collection whose label we will send to the buyer.
The sample has been noted and photographed in the article 'The Áliva Mining District' of the ‘Mineralogical Record‘ magazine on page 410 in the volume 52, number 4, July-August 2021
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), level 2, Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (2002)

Specimen size: 3.5 × 3.3 × 1.8 cm = 1.38” × 1.30” × 0.71”

Main crystal size: 1.7 × 1.6 cm = 0.67” × 0.63”

JVM50AP8: Group of Sphalerite crystals with very sharp crystal forms, between translucent and transparent, with good luster and a very unusual green coloration for specimens from this deposit.
This high-quality specimen comes from the collection of Andrés Jiménez Shelly and was previously in Carlos Prieto Paramio's.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), level 2, Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (±2012)

Specimen size: 4.2 × 3.1 × 1.9 cm = 1.65” × 1.22” × 0.75”

Main crystal size: 2.7 × 1.8 cm = 1.06” × 0.71”

NRM66AO8: Group of very sharp Sphalerite crystals with very well defined crystal forms, between translucent and transparent, with good luster and an intense honey color. On matrix, with white scalenohedral Dolomite crystals.
The specimen comes from the collection of Santiago Jiménez who, especially in the 1980s and 90s, assembled an excellent collection with a very good representation of the mineralogy of northern Spain.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 4.2 × 3.9 × 2.3 cm = 1.65” × 1.54” × 0.91”

Main crystal size: 3.2 × 2.5 cm = 1.26” × 0.98”

NR27AL5: Polycrystalline growth of Sphalerite with slightly curved edges and faces, transparent, very bright and with a very deep honey color, with dominant yellow and orange tones. On matrix, with white rhombohedral Dolomite crystals and Calcite crystal coatings.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 4.4 × 2.9 × 2.8 cm = 1.73” × 1.14” × 1.10”

Main crystal size: 1.6 × 1 cm = 0.63” × 0.39”

TVM37ASN1: A floater crystal of Sphalerite with polycrystalline growths and complex twins of uniform toasted honey color with very marked reddish reflections. Very clean and with excellent transparency, accompanied by snow-white scalenohedral Calcite crystals in clear color contrast. The specimen, which is beautiful both in the front and the back, comes from the collection of Nacho Gaspar (number BLD-16), whose record will be sent to the buyer of the piece.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (1970)

Specimen size: 4.5 × 3.5 × 3.1 cm = 1.77” × 1.38” × 1.22”

NT86AF2: Complex Sphalerite crystals with very well defined faces and edges, with an intense and uniform honey color and on a matrix with white Dolomite crystals.
The sample is from the Jaume Vilalta collection, whose label we’ll send to the buyer
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (1994)

Specimen size: 4.6 × 4.3 × 3.2 cm = 1.81” × 1.69” × 1.26”

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

NF46S0: Group of crystals with very well defined faces and edges and an area of parallel growth. They are very bright, transparent and have a deep orange color.
The specimen has been reviewed and published in the magazine ‘Lapis’ on page 23, volume 36, number 7-8, July-August 2011
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 4.8 × 4 × 3.2 cm = 1.89” × 1.57” × 1.26”

NF26F3: It is very uncommon to find a specimen with the faces so well defined, flat, and as brilliant as this one. The perfection of the edges gives it an unusual esthetic effect.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 5 × 3.5 × 2.5 cm = 1.97” × 1.38” × 0.98”

NXJ66AQ0: Group of complex Sphalerite crystals with a flattened habit, transparent, with very bright luster, intense and deep color, and with small coatings of Calcite.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), level 2, Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (2007)

Specimen size: 5 × 4.2 × 1.6 cm = 1.97” × 1.65” × 0.63”

NF57AM5: Group of complex crystals of Sphalerite, transparent, with good luster and a very vivid orange color that contrasts with the matrix of rhombohedral Dolomite crystals with a snow-white color. A classic of Spanish mineralogy that comes from the Ignacio Gaspar collection (number BLD-4), whose collection card we will send to the buyer.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 5 × 4.5 × 1.3 cm = 1.97” × 1.77” × 0.51”

NMF27AP6: Crystals of Sphalerite with sharp crystal forms, very rich in faces and polycrystalline growths. Translucent, lustrous, with an intense honey color and on a matrix of Dolomite crystals.
An old Spanish classic.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 5 × 4.9 × 3.5 cm = 1.97” × 1.93” × 1.38”

TVX89AP9: Group of Sphalerite crystals, translucent, with good luster and a color between yellow and green. We highlight, apart from the color, which is very rare in Las Mánforas, the excellent definition of the crystal forms.
This specimen comes from the Alain Martaud collection, whose label we will send to the buyer. A great Spanish classic!
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 5.8 × 5.2 × 3 cm = 2.28” × 2.05” × 1.18”

Main crystal size: 2.6 × 2.3 cm = 1.02” × 0.91”

NG67AM5: Polycrystalline growth of complex Sphalerite crystals with curvatures and with the smooth forms of the tetrahedron. The crystals, between transparent and translucent, are very lustrous, with a very dense, deep and uniform caramel color. The specimen comes from the Ignacio Gaspar collection (number BLD-2), whose collection card we will send to the buyer.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 6.1 × 4.5 × 2.5 cm = 2.40” × 1.77” × 0.98”

TVA94CD4: Group of perfectly sharp and profiled Sphalerite crystals with complex crystallography and twinning, with the characteristic honeyed color, transparent, implanted on a rock matrix, on very sharp snow-white Dolomite crystals.
The specimen comes from a classic Spanish mine for Sphalerite, located in a spectacular landscape next to the Picos de Europa National Park, and it has been inaccessible for many years due to the galleries being flooded.
From the collection of Andrés Jiménez Shelly who bought it years ago from Jordi Fabre.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 6.3 × 4.9 × 1.7 cm = 2.48” × 1.93” × 0.67”

Main crystal size: 1.4 × 1.3 cm = 0.55” × 0.51”

SV2420NBA: Group of twinned Sphalerite crystals of excellent luster and honey color, highlighting the transparency of the piece.
The specimen comes from the collection of Ignacio Gaspar whose handwritten label we will send to the purchaser.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), level 2, Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (2007)

Specimen size: 6.5 × 4 × 5 cm = 2.56” × 1.57” × 1.97”

TBR92AP8: Very aerial group of complex Sphalerite crystals, translucent, with very good luster and a very deep and uniform reddish color, on matrix, with white rhombohedral Dolomite crystals.
The specimen comes from the Ignacio Gaspar Sintes collection (number BLD-11) and was previously in that of Eugeni Bareche (number 2023).
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (±1984)

Specimen size: 6.5 × 4.3 × 5.5 cm = 2.56” × 1.69” × 2.17”

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

NT36AA6: Polycrystalline growth with slightly curved faces and edges, transparent, very bright, and with a very deep, uniform honey color. The specimen is a product of small finds made intermittently in the mine after its closure. Currently the galleries are not accessible.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 6.6 × 6.1 × 4.4 cm = 2.60” × 2.40” × 1.73”

ME92AF2: Aggregate of complex Sphalerite crystals, very rich in faces that combine smooth and rough surfaces. The crystals, bright and between translucent and transparent, have a very intense orange color, easily visible with intense lightning.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 9.3 × 7.8 × 4.8 cm = 3.66” × 3.07” × 1.89”

Main crystal size: 4.1 × 3.1 cm = 1.61” × 1.22”

NB36M9: Parallel growth of crystals that have excellent transparency and a very good honey color that highly contrasts with the matrix of white Dolomite.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 10 × 6 × 4.2 cm = 3.94” × 2.36” × 1.65”

TM99AM7: Druse of complex Sphalerite crystals with sharp crystal forms, transparent, with good luster and an intense color, on matrix, accompanied by small partially dissolved Calcite crystals. A classic of Spanish mineralogy.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 11.8 × 9.8 × 3.8 cm = 4.65” × 3.86” × 1.50”

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

NB16AM5: Druse of complex Sphalerite crystals that are very rich in shapes, from transparent to translucent, with good luster and a very intense and vivid caramel color, coated with white Dolomite crystals. A Spanish classic of good size and quality.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 12.5 × 10.5 × 8 cm = 4.92” × 4.13” × 3.15”

NM93AE6: An aggregate of complex Sphalerite crystals with curved faces, some smooth and others with polycrystalline growths. These crystals, between transparent and translucent, are very bright, have a very dense, deep and uniform honey color and are partially coated by white Dolomite rhombohedra.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 13 × 12 × 7 cm = 5.12” × 4.72” × 2.76”

TBB46ASN1: A group of complex Sphalerite crystals, one of them dominant, with very defined faces and edges, with minor Dolomite and in a limestone rock matrix. The crystals are translucent and toasted honey-colored, varying from intense and dark tones to lighter and caramelized ones. This high-quality specimen comes from the old collection of Luis Reyna from Madrid, whose record will be sent to the buyer of the piece.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 13.9 × 11.4 × 5.3 cm = 5.47” × 4.49” × 2.09”

Main crystal size: 2 × 1.5 cm = 0.79” × 0.59”

NQ14AB5: Translucent Sphalerite crystals with very well defined faces and edges, with a very neat green color (cleiophane variety) which is rare at Áliva, They are very bright and are on matrix, with white, small, Dolomite crystals.
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), level 2, Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain (±2012)

Specimen size: 6.7 × 3.6 × 3.3 cm = 2.64” × 1.42” × 1.30”

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

NR8M3: Nice and interesting miniature. Complex Calcite crystal with dominant scalenohedral faces. Inside one can see a very acute scalenohedron phantom. On a small matrix with Dolomite and Sphalerite.
The sample has been noted and photographed in the article 'The Áliva Mining District' of the ‘Mineralogical Record‘ magazine on page 391 in the volume 52, number 4, July-August 2021
Áliva Mine (Las Mánforas Mine), Áliva mining area, Camaleño, Comarca Liébana, Cantabria  Spain

Specimen size: 3.3 × 2.5 × 2.1 cm = 1.30” × 0.98” × 0.83”

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