Kevin Conroy Minerals    

10076 Barberton Dr.

Saint Louis, Missouri 63126

    For more information or to order email me at: k.conroy@worldnet.att.net   

All measurements are in cm.   Click on any small photo for a larger view.

Beryl variety Aquamarine

Fano Mine, Anza, Riverside County, California

Beryl specimens from California are fairly scarce, so I was extremely fortunate to run across this small batch of specimens.   The collector who I got them from had bought these with the intent of adding all of them to his collection, but he recently decided to downsize and concentrate on a just few locales and minerals.

Most of the Californian pegmatites that produce specimens are in San Diego County, but there are a few just to the north in Riverside County.   Here's a little background on the mine, taken from an article written by Jessie Fischer that was published in the September/October 2002 issue of Mineralogical Record:    "Perhaps the best-known pegmatite mine in Riverside County is the Fano (or Fano-Simmons) mine.   Originally claimed by Bert Simmons in 1902, the Fano mine is a patented claim consisting mostly of surface excavations on a pegmatite dike that lies on top of a ridge located on the north flanks of Cahuilla Mountain (also spelled Coahuila) near the town of Anza.   Kunz (1905a) reports that the pegmatite initially produced kunzite, colored tourmaline, and lepidolite.   Little evidence of lithium-bearing minerals is seen in current exposures of the pegmatite, and the mine is now better known for its somewhat limited production of well-crystallized aquamarine and schorl in recent years.   Commercial attempts to work the mine appear to have been limited to the first decade of the 20th century; the mine has since been operated, for the most part, by hobbyists and highgraders.   Digging by the latter has, in recent years, produced a series of debris-filled pits that now obscure much of the pegmatite."

FB1    Beryl variety Aquamarine - Fano Mine, Anza, Riverside County, California    $90;    This crystal has some cleavelandite associated with it.   This is gemmier than the opaque look that the photos show, and the color is quite good.    Size:  1.6 x 1.4 x 1.4

FB2    Beryl variety Aquamarine - Fano Mine, Anza, Riverside County, California    $60;    This and the next crystal are the gemmiest of the lot, but DO NOT tell me if you plan on cutting these!!!    There is a little dissolution on the termination of the large crystal (as seen toward the upper left in the last photo), the small crystal growing in parallel is incomplete.   I'm pointing out these slight flaws to be complete about the description, and I'm very picky about what some collectors may consider flaws.    This is still a very good example of this hard to find locality mineral!    Size:  1.6 x 1.5 x 1.4

FB3    Beryl variety Aquamarine - Fano Mine, Anza, Riverside County, California    $60;    As above, also with some dissolution to the termination.   I think this is actually two intergrown crystals that share one common face!     Size:  2 x 1.2 x .9     Reserved

FB4    Beryl variety Aquamarine - Fano Mine, Anza, Riverside County, California    $35;    The largest of the lot, this one features four good sized crystals growing in parallel.   The front left one has some gemmy areas, while the rest are mostly cloudy.   This specimen also has some dissolution (on the terminations a a couple of the sides), and there is a chip on a termination (as seen in the last photo).     Size:  2.3 x 2.2 x 1.8