DALLAS, TX.- Dazzling fine minerals, including many from a trio of elite collections, will shimmer their way into the spotlight October 11 when they cross the block in Heritage's Fine Minerals Signature® Auction.

Featured in the auction are the Bryan McLaughlin Collection and the worldwide suite from the Raúl Sanabria Collection.

"These are extraordinary collections that show the wealth of knowledge and passion of those who curated them," says Nic Valenzuela, Director of Fine Minerals at Heritage Auctions. "These hand-picked collections bring together an array of exceptional crystallized mineral specimens from around the world, surpassing the quality of typical reference specimens and revealing Earth's natural geological art."

Among the top attractions in the auction is an "Alien Eye" Fluorite from the Kudubis 19 farm in the Karibib District of Namibia. This magnificent example comes from a 2007 excavation that yielded a small but stunning find of fewer than 30 Fluorite specimens that joined the realm of true mineral classics: the "Alien Eye" Fluorites, which was named for the unusual phantom/zoning pattern of the pocket. Specimens from the find are renowned their distinctive transparent and black zones with vivid green cores, all of which gives them an extraterrestrial feel hence the pocket's unforgettable moniker. The offered example has two aesthetically conjoined crystals, the larger of which is oriented perfectly to display the "Alien Eye" effect; the color is deep and contrasts sharply, meaning that only minimal backlighting is needed to create the captivating visual display. Any example from this pocket is in exceptionally high demand because they are so difficult to locate, but to find one of this caliber is undeniably rare.

A geologically unusual and gem-clear Tanzanite crystal is as impressive in its size (it stands 12 centimeters high) as it is in the aesthetic beauty of its form that ends in two terminations, as if mirrored. The body is wide, tabular and extremely gemmy, enough so that light transmits through the prism to bring out its bright blue and violet colors; the pleochroism is such that blue, violet, pink and green colors all can be visible, depending on the angle at which it is viewed in front of a polarized light. Simply turning the crystal in front of the light can change the visible colors. The line through the crystal is not an indication of repair; instead, it is a natural fault line that was the result of an underground geological shift that resulted in a slight, fascinating bend.A gorgeous Tourmaline (Liddicoatite) from the Betafo District in Madagascar features magnifent raspberry pink color in the termination and from the internal "fire" under the surface. But viewing under some direct light will reveal a shockingly transparent interior and an entirely new world of color that includes bright reds, oranges and yellow in this example that is one of the finest from Madagascar ever offered through Heritage Auctions.

A 6.1-centimeter (2.99-inch) Topaz var. Imperial Topaz on Quartz hails from Brazil's Ouro Preto, an old mining locality that is known as the mineral capital of Minas Gerais and has produced exceptional Topaz specimens that have carried the "Imperial Topaz" nickname for their rich golden color and vitreous quality. Most of the Imperial Topaz from the locality are found as singular crystals, rarely seen on any sort of matrix, which goes a long way toward explain the appeal in this example, which already rests on a crystallized Quartz matrix

The Raúl Sanabria Collection

Also offered is one of the finest Native Gold specimens from the Colombian Los Delirious Claim, which is one of the top lots from the Sanabria collection. Measuring just over 10 centimeters (3.98 inches) long, it is a superb specimen. Each Gold leaf is bright and lustrous, and in many parts features a slight mirror-like reflectiveness. Across the display view of the matrix are microcrystalline Quartz points. Specimens as superb as this are rare to find from this locality, and the previous owner of this specimen, Raúl Sanabria, actually collected this piece himself, as his company was developing the mine at that time. According to Sanabria, this was the best Gold specimen to come from this locality.




Another Colombian treasure from the collection is a Beryl var. Emerald, Calcite from the Muzo Municipality in the Western Boyacá Province. The two centermost Emerald crystals are the most well-formed in the specimen, which measures 20.9 centimeters (8.23 inches) in length; the largest stretches 3.7 centimeters. The crystals have the rich, gemmy green color that is signature to examples from Colombia, which produces an estimated 70-90% of the world's Emeralds. This large cabinet specimen was acquired from a jewelry store in Cali, Colombia where it originally was used as a necklace display; it easily could be trimmed into several smaller, killer miniatures or small cabinet specimens.

The Bryan McLaughlin Collection

Among the highlights in this small but extremely well-curated collection is a 21-gram Native Crystallized Gold from Mato Grosso in Brazil. This magnificent specimen features complete 360-degree crystallization in a beautiful floral shape with an elegant upward expantion from an elegant hooked "stem."

A Rutile, Quartz has features that suggest Brazilian lineage, but actually is a rare example of the brightly rutilated specimens that occasionally emerge from the snowy mountain ranges in the alpine regions of Switzerland. The appeal in this pristinely terminated crystal on matrix is only magnified by the locality of origin.

Other top lots include, but are not limited to:

• A Beryl var. Aquamarine from Padre Paraíso, Minas Gerais, Brazil

• A Tourmaline (Elbaite) from Goma, North Kivu, DR Congo

• A Rutile included in Quartz from Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil

• An Azurite and Malachite from Sepon Mine, Vilabouly District, Savannakhet Province, Laos