For centuries several mines and prospects in the Weardale area, have found large amounts of both lead and later, fluorite ores. As a by product of this mining, many well crystallized specimens of fluorite and other minerals were also found and are now public and private collections world-wide . Fortunately for the mineral collecting community, there was a high level of interest in collecting and preserving mineral specimens in the UK during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when many of these mines were at their peak production. This interest provided an economic incentive for miners to preserve attractive specimens, known locally as “Bonnie Bits”, which they could readily sell to collectors and dealers. Coupled with this was a variable, but generally tolerant attitude on the part of the local mining companies toward collecting by the miners.

Mining in Weardale has now come to an end; the collapse of lead prices in the late 19th century caused many local lead mines to cease production. However the rise in demand for fluorspar for use in modern steel-making gave a life line to many of the mines, but the collapse of the British steel industry in the early 1980′s, followed by a surplus of fluorspar from foreign sources has put an end to large scale commercial mining in Weardale, and throughout the UK. The occasional specimen will still show up from collectors who visit quarries and the few underground mines that are still accessible. Attempts at commercial specimen recovery are happening at the Rogerley, Greenlaws, and St. Peter’s Mines. Given the high costs of re-opening and running of an underground mine, coupled with ever-increasing environmental concerns, it is unlikely that the specimen production in the area will ever reach the level as seen in the past.

Many older fluorite specimens from the Weardale area are labelled as coming from “Cumberland”, “Alston”, or “Alston Moor”. Cumberland is an antiquated name for a county that was combined with Westmorland in the 1970′s to create the modern county of Cumbria. Weardale is, and always has been in County Durham to the east of Cumbria, and thus to label Weardale specimens as being from Cumberland is incorrect. The confusion most likely arose during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when most local mineral dealers were operating in the town of Alston, which was in Cumberland – now modern Cumbria. Specimens from the Weardale mines were bought from the miners by the Alston-based dealers, who then provided only generalized location information, either through neglect or in an effort to protect their sources.

This is not to say that all fluorite specimens from the region came from Weardale. The Hilton Mine in Westmorland (now Cumbria) is famous for its amber and yellow fluorite. Good fluorite specimens have also come from the Beaumont (Allenheads) and St. Peters Mines in Northumberland. These, however, are distinctive and not likely to be confused with specimens from the Weardale mines. The Rotherhope Fell Mine, located in Alston Moor is likely to be the one source of confusion. During the first half of the 20th century this mine produced some very good specimens of purple fluorite, which are very similar in appearance to those from any of a number of Weardale mines. Without proper documentation these specimens may be difficult to distinguish from Weardale fluorite.

The Rogerley Mine

Despite the closure of the Weardale mines, a new development of great interest to collectors, is the working of some of the mines on a commercial basis for specimens.

The extraction of fine fluorite specimens is taking place at the Rogerley Mine – thanks to a recent commercial venture and also at the Greenlaws Mine.

In the summer of 1999, an American consortium, UK Mining Ventures, (entrepreneurs in the commercial extraction of mineral specimens, specifically for the collector market), began operations at the Rogerley Mine.

The consortium were in search of the mine’s well-known, typical, rich green cubic fluorite crystals which, in the best examples, often display a strong, daylight fluorescence!

Since then, numerous good specimens of both green and purple crystals have been extracted from several newly-discovered mineralized pockets.

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Keith Birch www.ksccrystals.com

Celestite (also known as Celestine), from the Latin “caelestis” meaning “celestial” or “heavenly”, was aptly named, for these dusky sky blue crystals have a very ethereal appearance. Found in sedimentary rock and mostly in crystal form, the best Celestite specimens are found in cavities in Sandstone or Limestone (often as geodes) and are in high demand by collectors. It can also be found as tabular or granular crystals or in fibrous veins of sedimentary rock. Gypsum, Fluorite, Calcite, Dolomite and Galena are other minerals often found near Celestite deposits. The first Celestite was discovered in 1791 near Frankstown, Pennsylvania, by the German mineralogist A.G. Werner.

Celestite is a favourite among mineral collectors. Its sky blue (or celestial) colour is very pretty, and is unique in the mineral kingdom. Celestite also forms with other colourful minerals, making very nice combinations. Blue Celestite with bright yellow sulphur is one of the most famous colourful combinations of minerals. Celestite has the same structure as Barite, and forms very similar crystals. The two may seem identical by ordinary methods, but a flame test can distinguish them. By scraping the dust of the crystals into a gas flame, the colour of the flame will confirm the identity of the crystal. If the flame is a pale green, it is barite, but if the flame is red, it is celestite. The flame test works because the elements barium and strontium react with the flame and produce those colours. Normally barite is not blue, but many specimens of blue barite are often misidentified as Celestite. The nice crystals, good lustre and attractive blue colour make fine specimens of celestite an outstanding mineral for someone’s cabinet or display case

Celestite has many abilities, one of which is its proficiency at balancing the male/female energy within the physical body as well as balancing all the energy fields – the auric energy and the life force energy. It brings you into attunement with very high powers of rationality. Celestite brings rational thought to any situation, giving a very calming effect even in the most stressful of situations. This stone is excellent for any type of mental activities, such as study work. It clears balances and attunes all the chakras.

Celestite is excellent crystal for public speakers or anyone who needs to communicate either through verbal or written skills. It facilitates fluency and proper pronunciation during any type of communication. Using this stone helps you to receive verbal messages from the angelic realms. It doesn’t have to be used in meditation to do this. However it is suggested that it will be more powerful if used in meditation. Celestite helps you to access your own intuition that has always been with you. You can hold the crystal and listen to the little voice within. It will give guidance and information which lead to the correct decision for this time.

Celestite contains the wisdom of the Ancient Masters. By accessing this crystal and using the crystal in meditation, you can ask it if it has any stories to tell which relate to you from past lifetimes or this incarnation. Celestite enhances the ability to facilitate out of body experiences, primarily those induced in the meditative state when there is soul separation from the physical body.

Placing a piece of Celestite by your bed at night will assist in the recollection of out of body experiences, visualizations and dreams.

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Keith Birch www.ksccrystals.com

Peridot is a stone of lightness and beauty, as such it is suggested that the person with too many earthly problems may not be able to understand the beauty of the Peridot. The very spiritual can wear Peridot in a necklace with the stone at the base of the throat to feel its soothing effect. Peridot is an excellent protector against negative emotions, and has been known to have healing effect on the gall bladder and liver. This is an excellent stone for those who have a spiritual calling.

Peridot is the best known gem variety of olivine, a species name for a series of magnesium-iron rich silicate minerals.

The peridot is a very old gemstone, and one which has become very popular again today. It is so ancient that it can be found in Egyptian jewellery from the early 2nd millennium B.C.. Some historians suspect that at least some of the “emeralds” worn by Cleopatra were actually peridot.

The stones used at that time came from a deposit on a small volcanic island in the Red Sea, some 45 miles off the Egyptian coast at Aswan, which was not rediscovered until about 1900 and has, meanwhile, been exhausted for quite some time. Having said that, the peridot is also a thoroughly modern gemstone, for it was not until a few years ago that peridot deposits were located in the Kashmir region.

The ancient Romans too were fond of this gemstone and esteemed its radiant green shine, which does not change even in artificial light. For that reason they nicknamed it the ‘emerald of the evening’. Peridot is also found in Europe in medieval churches, where it adorns many a treasure, for example one of the shrines in Cologne Cathedral. During the baroque period, the rich green gemstone once again enjoyed a brief heyday, and then it somehow faded into oblivion.

But suddenly, in the middle of the 1990s, the peridot was the big sensation at gemstone fairs all round the world. The reason? In Pakistan, up on an inhospitable pass at some 4000 metres (13,120 ft.), a sensationally rich deposit of the finest peridots had been found. In tough climatic conditions which permitted the gemstones to be mined only during the summer months, the unusually large, fine crystals and fragments were brought down into the valley. These stones were finer than anything that had ever been seen before. And the deposits were so rich that the demand for peridots can, for the present, easily be satisfied.

How green? It all depends on the iron

This gemstone has no fewer than three names: ‘peridot’, ‘chrysolite’, from the Greek ‘gold stone’, and ‘olivine’, for the peridot is the gemstone form of the mineral olivine. In the gemstone trade it is called ‘peridot’, derived from the Greek word ‘peridona’, which means something like ‘to give richness’.

The peridot is one of the few gemstones which come in one colour only. The rich, green colour with the slight tinge of gold is caused by very fine traces of iron. From a chemical point of view, peridot is an iron magnesium silicate. The intensity of the colour depends on the amount of iron actually present. The colour itself can vary over all shades of yellowish green and olive, and even to a brownish green. Peridot is not particularly hard – only 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale – but it is easy to look after and fairly robust.

The peridot adds a wonderful variant to the colour spectrum of green gemstones. Thanks to the rich finds in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there is enough raw material on the market, so the ‘right stone’ can now be found to cater for each individual taste and each pocket. Large, transparent stones of an intense colour are, however, rare and correspondingly expensive. The peridot is a gemstone that you should definitely get to know better. Its fine pistachio to olive green is a fantastic addition to any healer kit.

You can read more about the healing qualities by following this link.

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Keith Birch www.ksccrystals.com