Tempting & expensive hobby! Minerals from the Gem & Mineral Fine show in Houston, TX - April 2013

 

Rare minerals, others not so much, all beautiful though!

There is a new mineral name I discover frequently, so, I am happy to share some of those hereby. Thanks to Kristalle for offering these specimens since 1971

Oranges? no, Cacoxenite, as seen through a microscope 18x

Formula:	Fe 3+ 24 Al (PO 4 ) 17 O 6 (OH) 12 · 17H 2 O
	Name: From the Greek κακός for "bad" and ξένος for "guest" due to the fact that the phosphorous content of cacoxenite lessens the quality of iron smelted from ore containing it. System: Hexagonal Colour: Yellow to brownish ... Type Locality: Hrbek Mine, Svatá Dobrotivá (St Benigna), Beroun (Beraun), Central Bohemia Region, Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen), Czech Republic | This particular one from La Paloma, Spain Year of Discovery: 1825 Geological Setting: Common accessory mineral in oxidation zone of magnetic and limonite iron ores, novaculites, rarely in iron rich sediments and soils. Luster: Silky Diaphaneity (Transparency): Translucent Colour: Yellow to brownish yellow, reddish orange, golden yellow, deep orange, green; yellow in transmitted light Hardness (Mohs): 4-Mar Density   2.2 - 2.6 g/cm3 Crystal System: Hexagonal Class (H-M): 6/m - Di-pyramidal Morphology: Crystals crudely hexagonal, acicular [0001], with a hexagonal cross section at times and indistinct pyramidal faces. Commonly in compact, concentric, spherical to radial aggregates. In bundles, randomly fibrous; as coatings or inter-granular cement.