Graphite on Diopside with Fluorite    Rossie Township, St. Lawrence County, New York. Collected by Michael Walter, June-July, 2018. The graphite crystals composing this piece are silver/gray in color, exceptionally clean and they show the typical rounded form but more importantly they show clearly the well-developed, reticulated patterning on each crystal. The piece measures 8 x 4.2 x 3.6 cm and has crystals to 1.8 cm each. The crystals are interlocking and show some minor fillings by fluorite. This example is better in-hand than the images indicate and a major specimen from the find. It is composed mostly of graphite with some mixed in diopside crystals. $2,000
Background…  Large graphite crystals are very rare things that few collectors will ever have a chance to add to their mineral collection. The specimens seen here were discovered in the summer of 2018. The find consisted of a single pocket connected to a section of mineralized vein. In total approximately 30 specimens were recovered.  These are comparable with the finest from anywhere in the world. Why?  First of all these crystals are exceptionally large (up to 8 cm each). They were found as individual crystals, crystals delicately perched on matrices of massive and sometimes crystallized minerals, and in rare instances as interlocking clusters of crystals. What makes these graphite crystals even more interesting is that most have an attractive reticulated surface patterning. This patterning has be referred to as six rayed, snowflake-like, and stellate dendrites. Whatever we call it, visually it is a nice feature.  The crystals are normally fully terminated, have ragged looking terminal edges, and they are often naturally curved, or found embedded in fluorite or calcite (both of which formed after the graphite). Associated minerals include calcite, fluorite, diopside, feldspar, and mica. If specimens are stabilized it is done with the acryloid B-72, sometimes in a vacuum chamber, and the stabilizing fluid is applied to the matrix, not the graphite crystals.  In most cases I consider these specimens are fragile to be shipped and they have to be picked up at any of the shows we do around the country.