By Russ Behnke

I have always, it seems, been interested in minerals, but over the years, I have grown especially fond of minerals with great stories behind them. The story may involve the provenance of the specimen. I really enjoy being able to handle something which was once in a great museum such as the Smithsonian or Harvard or which was once been handled by the likes of J. P. Morgan.

But I have perhaps an even greater appreciation for minerals which are found in unusual combinations with other minerals. Calcites are seen on amethysts fairly often. But I have never seen something quite like the specimen illustrated below.

This specimen was found in Artigas, Uruguay in 2007. The calcite crystal has been partially coated by quartz crystals. In essence, the calcite is half pseudomorphed. It is unusual to find a pseudomorph which is so well proportioned with two contrasting colors. The only comparable in my mind would be some of the great malachites after azurite from Tsumeb.

Another of my favorite finds in 2007 is this specimen from Pakistan.

Aquamarine and topaz have been found in some profusion in the pegmatites of Pakistan, but it is almost impossible to get a combination of the two minerals in any specimen, let alone something this fine. The color contrast between the two gem minerals is about as good as it could get. A matrix specimen of either crystal on the albite and with the quartz crystals would be considered to be good, but this is truly wonderful. I can think of only one finer combination of topaz and aqua.

Of course, there are stories and there are stories. This is one of my favorite specimens, too, as it is the specimen that got me started in minerals. It is an agate which my dad brought home many years ago. It is from my home town, found on a little island in a reservoir during the dead of winter. Agates are not as well appreciated as I think they should be. The best of them have remarkable color and effects. In many ways, they thrill me as much as any mineral specimen.