Hey Dudes and Dudettes!
It has been a wild ride so far. Thank you for all the messages and emails we have received. It is groovy having so many of you follow our Tour. Please continue to email or text us if you see items that you would like to purchase or reserve. 720 352 3224 or bruce@handsofspirit.com.
Magical Mystery Tour Day 4
Today we jumped around quite a bit trying to get all of the treasures we needed to bring back to Boulder. We started out in Madagascar finding some pretty spiffy new pieces. So, without further delay, please proceed scrolling down.
OK, well, Karen was at least looking for crystals, me,...not so much.
Look at this new art piece that will be coming back with us! Poly Chrome Jasper is one of those stones that you can never have too much of. Each piece has unique patterns and a myriad of colors.
These were a new find for us, Lepidolite hearts, but look at how sweet they are! They are covered in little spots that we think are Tourmaline! We could not pass them up.
For our enjoyment: Large Onyx bowl with natural crystalline outside. Incredible.
For your enjoyment: Calling all Quan Yin lovers. This piece stands about 4.5' tall. Lovely carving work.
For your enjoyment: Zebra Onyx fluted bowl. This piece would be spectacular on a large dining room table.
This piece we could not pass up. It is carved from snow white Onyx. Perfect for an alter where you can lay special items in it.
Luke gets credit for this incredible find! What a breathtaking piece of Malachite from the Congo. The designs go 360 degrees around. It even has a little cave with botryoidal (rounded) formations of malachite.
For your enjoyment: Slices of Malachite stalactites.
Lunch time, always fun eating on crates next to a port-a-potty! We can make a good time out of any situation :)
We are always learning new things. This piece was one of those things. This Serpentine carving was actually carved by a world renown artist from Zimbabwe, named Hans Griss. When these pieces come into the shows, they actually put them through a process to get them ready to sell. They take the carving and let it warm up in the sun, then, they take beeswax and rub it into the gray areas you see on the face and paws. They let it soak in and then rub it down to get the excess off. This helps to bring out the rich green colors of the Serpentine that are difficult to polish in the tight crevasses of the carving. And now you know!
We are always big fans of Rainbow Fluorite. Though this picture does nothing to show how beautiful this piece actually is, we hope you can use your imagination! As you can see, we had a theme of bowls today. Bowls area always in high demand, but not many artists make them because of the large amount of material needed and the difficulty of getting the fine carving from it.
Later in the day, we Toured to Canada, where we unpacked box after box to get first picks of Auralite 23 direct from the mine. We had a very nice surprise when we found many of the piece were elestialated! This is a new type of termination from the Auralite Mine. We are also bringing home about 6 pieces of Emerald (Prasiolite) Auralite 23. Wait till you see these pieces. Below is the selection we will be bringing home.
It is difficult to tell from here, but many of the red tops which get their color from Hematite inclusions, are all elestials. We are so in love with them. When you hold these pieces up to the light, the Amethyst glows.
Here is the crowning glory, a bud...an actually Auralight 23 bud!
We have a fabulous new selection of Greenland Nuummite coming back with us. Nuummite is one of the oldest stones on the planet. Hearts, Pyramids, Cabochons, Wands, an Obelisk, and Spheres in different sizes. This heart in my hand has so much flash. It is one of those pieces that would show better in a video, but I can promise it is a beauty! You can see the pyramids in the background. Nuummite is very difficult to polished, but this heart and the pyramids have fantastic polish.
These two pendants were some of the only Tugtupite that we could find with any pink in it. Tugtupite is another stone from Greenland. It is extremely rare and fluoresces Pink and Orange under long and short wave UV light. If you are interest in one, the square pendant is available, the other has already been spoken for.
Day 5
The 5th day of the Magical Mystery Tour, dawned bright and sunny with a strong breeze. By 10am it was already nice and warm and by noon we were in short sleeve shirts and flip flops.
We took advantage of the sun to select some Moonstone cabochons with neon blue flash. Luke and I also had a blast selecting miniature Sugilite Cabochons for our own collection and a brilliant blue Topaz faceted bead necklace for the business. I wish you could see the flash in the Moonstones, and the sparkle in the Topaz better, but I guess you will just have to come visit them!
As some of you may have seen our Facebook post regarding the sad news that one of our favorite carvers was retiring this year. He had his last carvings available at the show. We selected 7 intricate animals, two of which are these fabulous Labradorite owls.
For your enjoyment: this Calcite flower was part of a coffee table sized drusy Amethyst/Quartz Plate. This piece was outside and wow, did it glitter in the sunshine. It would sell for over $20k!
For your enjoyment: I could not get over how beautiful these very large pieces of rough Blue Opal from Peru were. This made me want to get into polishing!
No one else was more excited than Bruce at this new find of Brucite from Pakistan! Lemony yellow and very pretty. He will now be adding on to his personal collection, which already includes a blue and white piece from different locations.
Ahhh Vera Cruz Amethyst, how we love you...let us count the ways. 1. You have great luster. 2. You look like a Fairyland. 3. You are water clear. 4. Your coloring is delicate and includes great shading from dark tips to a light base. Need I go one?
We were getting a bit low on our Azurite from Millipias , so figured we would search for a few new pieces. Look at this flower cluster we found! The edges of the crystals are electric blue when a light shines on them. As a reminder, this is one of the best location in the world for Azurite.
This was a find that Bruce hunted down. It exhibits a primary and secondary growth of Calcite. The means that one layer of Calcite crystallized, and at a later date, a second layer grew over the first. What we find so intriguing about this piece, is the black crystals, contrasting on the blue background., Of course it does not show well in this photo, but is really a sky blue color. This piece is from Mexico. It is a large piece, approximately 10" by 6" and the best news of all, it is a mere $89!
We had our annual lunch of Mexico food, while being serenaded by a Mariachi Band. The weather could not have been more perfect! The line, wraps behind me and extends all the way down and around the building. Amazing the crowds you can attract with free food and beer!
In one of our previous blogs, I had posted that we were able to finally get a few pieces of Koroit Opal. When we picked up our order today, I snapped a few pictures of two pieces. Again, you can't see the fire very well when they are not moving, but at least you can see the incredible patterns! I am always amazed at the art the Earth creates. She is a true master!
Were you missing these adorable animals? Well fear Marmot!...OK, it is a Meerkat, but hey, give me a break, it is 11:30pm, and I'm still up writing this. Clearly I'm getting a bit punchy ;)
Alright, here we have one of the biggest finds of the Tour. Chrysoberyl from Zimbabwe! We have a few of these set aside for some customers but the majority sold out immediately. The only remaining pieces are in the the $700 range, so if this is something you would like to add to your collection, please message me ASAP at 720 352 3224.
For your enjoyment: Pink Tourmaline Sphere and Jumbos. Candy!
For your enjoyment: two sides of a Spinel sphere. This is the only sphere like this any of us have ever seen.
We found some lovely clear quartz carved bowls, and this one Moss Agate bowl. They are perfect for little gems, or to hold jewelry.
Seriously thinking of putting one of these in our front yard... We love T-Rex, and will be bringing an Onyx carving back for the business!
The boys picking out little Starolite crystals from Russia! Don't mind the ride along beer that Luke is sporting...oh, wait 2 beers. It's been a long day. At least they are Colorado beers!
Last year we were fortunate enough to find some Quartz flames with Pyrite suns in them. They were very popular and sold out quickly. Though we could not find the flames again as this seemed to be a once in a life time occurrence, we were able to procure a few cabochons. There are four very sweet babies available. Three are $39 and one is $29. Please message us to reserve yours.
We will end Day 5 with wonderful news. For the first time in many years, we have been able to find Super 7 cabochons, also know as the Melody Stone. This material is only found in Espirito de Santo, Brazil. There are many Super 7 imposters, from other areas of Brazil to India. Karen thought we would never be able to get these again. Super 7 is a stone that never needs to be cleansed, and can be used as a primary tool in all of the Melody Crystal Healing work. Please message us to get in line to reserve your Super 7!
Day 6
Another Gem of a day, no pun intended. We had some incredible finds on Day 6!
I started the morning off getting first picks on Pietersite. I found some great wands, eggs and a few small spheres. They all have wonderful chatoyancy. Pictures will be posted when we get back. We have never had Pietersite wands before. They are spectacular and rather affordable. If you want to get on the reserve list, let us know.
While I was selecting Pietersite, Karen and Luke were finding something that comes in combination with Sugilite. Can you guess what it is? If you said Bustamite, then you are correct. The 4 pink cabochons are actually pretty large. If you thought Sugilite was rare, Bustamite blows it out of the water. The three large tumbleds are also the hard to find Shattuckite! Great palm stones.
Look at these two adorable little Amethyst scepter with light peach crystals growing out of them. Have you ever seen anything so cute?
Another pictures that missed capturing the sparkle and beauty of this one of a kind piece. It is a delicate pink colored Quartz. It comes from India. There is a crystal bud as well.
While we are on the topic of crystal buds, we found 5 dark purple amethyst flower buds from Uruguay. As royal purple as you can get!
Another post that some of you may have seen on Facebook, but we wanted to share here in case you missed it. Last year there was a new find called Lattice Sunstone. As you can see, the lattice structure is incredible when viewed at the correct angle. The miners of this material are really sweet individuals and we love supporting them. Last year we purchased about 20 special orders of these specimens, if you missed out and are interested, please message me as soon as possible so I can make sure to get you a piece before it is sold out. Most pieces start around $100 and go up from there.
For your enjoyment: As always, there are some spectacular Rhodochrosite carvings that we can't get enough of.
Look at this Fairy on a Mushroom! Does it get any better?
Finally we have Eudialyte spheres again! 4 spheres in all, one is not pictured. Russia boasts quite a few famous minerals, but 4 of them are so darn hard to get. Seraphinite, Eudialyte, Chrome Diopside and Charoite. We did get the Eudialyte spheres, cabs and free forms that are below. We also got Chrome Diopside Eggs, a sphere and an large jumbo that feels great in the hand. Not pictured here, we found some of the last Seraphinite large tumbleds that I think we will get unless a new vain is found. I was informed that the mine really stopped producing 5 years ago which we knew, but that it was actually shut down now. Very sad as we love this stone that looks so similar to angle wings.
The Eudialyte free forms.
The Chrome Diopside large jumbo that feels great in the hand.
Last, but most certainly not least...Blue Calcite Bowls that are to die for.
We have not decided on one of these yet, but are seriously thinking of one. If you have interest, please let us know. They are around 12 to 14 inches long and 6 to 8 inches wide.
Well, this wraps up days 4 through 6 of the Magical Mystery Tour. We hope you are having fun following our wild ride. It has been pretty magical finding so many great crystals, minerals, and carvings. We are excited to share them all with you.
Stay chill and peace out man!
Karen, Bruce, Mirabai and Luke
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