I’ve added great new specimens in a new update of pieces from the Steve Szilard collection.  This update includes fine mineral specimens from all over the world.

Steve Szilard is a well-known and highly respected Canadian mineral collector who began collecting in 1982. It may strike a chord with many of you that one of his first two mineral books was the Peterson Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals by Fred Pough – that was certainly true for me too (and my own copy sure looks as well used as it has been!). Steve is a skilled and accomplished field collector, having collected extensively in Ontario, as well as in almost all Canadian provinces and across the United States. Having travelled the world acquiring minerals in many countries, he has also attended many mineral shows – in particular, he has attended the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium for almost 30 years. Steve has a long record of mineral community involvement and contribution, having been with the Walker Mineralogical Club in Toronto since 1985 (and a member of the executive for many of the years since then) – he has also been a member of the Scarborough Gem and Mineral Club, the Kawartha Rock and Fossil Club and the Canadian Micro Mineral Association. As you might expect, given his mineral collecting career, Steve is incredibly knowledgeable about minerals and many mineral-related subjects. He has always been kind and generous with his knowledge. Steve has enjoyed assisting in the activities of a great organization, the Young Toronto Mineralogists Club, including talks, using binocular microscopes, and field trips. It is my pleasure to be able to share his collection with you.

Anglesite, Touissit, Touissit – Bou Beker District, Jerada, Oriental, Morocco – 1.8 cm crystal

Arsenopyrite on Muscovite, Yaoganxian Mine, Yizhang Co., Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, China – 4.2 cm

 Bastnäsite – (Ce), Zagi Mountain, Hameed Abad Kafoor Dneri, Peshawar,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan – 2.0 cm

Benitoite, Neptunite, California Gem Mine, Santa Rita Peak, New Idria Mining District,
San Benito Co., California, USA – 6.6 cm

Brookite, Magnet Cove, Hot Spring Co., Arkansas, USA

Calcite with Celadonite, Irai, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil – 11.3 cm

Same specimen as above, under UV light

Calcite, Irai, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil – 9.7 cm

 Same specimen as above, under UV light

Calcite (Twinned), Elmwood Mine, Carthage, Smith Co., Tennessee, USA – 7.3 cm

Calcite, Santa Eulalia Mining District, Chihuahua, Mexico – 11.2 cm
Illuminated by UV light

Cassiterite, Viloco Mine, Loayza Province, La Paz, Bolivia
Field of view 3.0 cm

Celestine on Sulphur, Machow Mine, Tarnobrzeg City Co., Poland – 8.1 cm

Same specimen as above, under UV light

Same specimen as above, exhibiting phosphorescence after UV illumination

Celestine, Sulphur, Machow Mine, Tarnobrzeg City Co., Poland
Field of view 3.5 cm

 Celestine on Sulphur, Machow Mine, Tarnobrzeg City Co., Poland
Field of view 3.0 cm

Cerussite on Barite, Les Dalles Mine, Mibladen Mining District, Midelt, Morocco – 7.1 cm

Corundum var. Sapphire, Ratnapura, Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka – 4.2 cm

 Cuprite on Chrysocolla, Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi Mining District, Lualaba,
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dioptase, Altyn-Tyube Deposit, Kirghiz Steppes, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan – 4.8 cm

Dioptase, Altyn-Tyube Deposit, Kirghiz Steppes, Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan – 2.7 cm

Elbaite, Chiar Mine, Sao Jose da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil – 3.8 cm

Epidote (twinned), Prince of Wales Island, Ketchikan Mining District, Alaska, USA – 4.2 cm

Ettringite, N’Chwaning II Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa – 4.3 cm

Fluorite on sphalerite, Annabel Lee Mine, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA

Fluorite, Xianghualing Mine, Linwu Co., Chenzhou, Hunan, China – 10.5 cm

Same specimen as above, under UV light

Gypsum var. selenite with halite, Salinas de Otuma, Paracas, Pisco, Ica Dept., Peru – 5.0 cm

Gypsum var. Selenite, Santa Eulalia Mining District, Chihuahua, Mexico – 8.1 cm

Gypsum var. Selenite, Naica, Saucillo Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico – 11.1 cm

Hemimorphite, Santa Eulalia Mining District, Chihuahua, Mexico

Malachite on Chrysocolla, Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi Mining District, Lualaba,
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pyrite, Canutillos Mine, Machamarcha District, Potosí, Bolivia

Pyromorphite, Daoping Mine, Gongcheng Co., Guanxi Zhuang A.R., China – 3.3 cm

Pyrrhotite, Dal’negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia – 5.7 cm

Smithsonite, Kelly Mine, Magdalena, Socorro Co., New Mexico, USA – 7.7 cm

Sphalerite, Dashkesan Deposit, Maly Caucasus, Koshkarchai Valley, Azerbaijan – 6.3 cm

Vanadinite, Taouz, Errachidia Province, Morocco

Vivianite, Tomokoni Mine, Canutillos Subdistrict, Machacamarcha District, Potosí, Bolivia – 4.3 cm

Zircon, Astor Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan – 4.3 cm