DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR MINERALS
ALUM (SMALL)
Lab Grown Mineral
Alum (Small) with the formula KAl (SO4)2 x 12H20 crystallizes in a regular crystal system. Although it is easily solvable in water, in the natural environment it does naturally form crystals and crusts. This Alum is created in a lab in Poland using the hydrothermal method. Usually Alum is colorless but color can be added through water. When put into direct sunlight it loses that water from its composition and turns white. Alum is also used in cosmetics to stop bleeding and to accelerate the general healing process.
ALUM (LARGE)
Lab Grown Mineral
Alum (Large) with the formula KCr (SO4)2 x 12H20 crystallizes in a regular crystal pattern with shell- like fractures. It crystallizes in regular cubic forms. The deep purple color its gets is of natural origin. This Alum is created in a lab in Poland. Alum is usually used for the process of tanning leathers and skins in order to make, for example, leather gloves.
ARCANITE
Lab Grown Mineral
Arcanite is a potassium sulfate mineral with the formula K2SO4. It was first described in 1845 when it occurred with old pine railroad ties in a tin mine in Trabuco Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, California.
BARYTE
Natural Mineral
The Lubin area in Silesia in southwestern Poland is famous for being one of the world’s largest deposits and producer of copper and silver. Over 20000 miners are being employed in three enormous mines where they work about 3300 ft / 1 km below the surface in a system of tunnels about 7000 miles / 11000 km long.
Those copper and silver deposits are situated in a sedimentary basin in this area. More precise they can be found in cyclotemes in the Zechstein rock layers, black shale formations that were deposited during the Upper Permian period in that huge anoxic epicontinental basin. The most important ore mineral deposits occur as micro grains and are visible only under the microscope. However, due to local hydrothermal mobilization some parts of this primary mineralization became bigger and can be seen with the naked eye as well. They usually contain Baryte, Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Gypsum, and Marcasite. This secondary mineralization usually occurs in faults as solid veins – rarely with cavities. In limestone sporadic karstic cavities may occur. Those cavities, when present, can reach a diameter of several feet / meters and they are usually flled with baryte or gypsum.
An unusual discovery was made the Lubin ‘Głowny’ (‘Main’) mine in 2011. During a regular mining process a cavity pocket in the shape of a vertical chimney was exposed. It was up to 15 ft / 5 m in length. At the end of this chimney the pocket curved and changed into a long irregular tunnel of 33 ft / 10 m length. The pocket was so big that in some parts it was possible to walk inside. This entire pocket was covered by kidney- shaped Baryte. The foor was covered by dust but the baryte on the walls and on the ceiling was covered by small sparkly and colorful Marcasite crystals. The whole pocket was shiny and very impressive. The walls were in an irregular shape with a variety of hanging concave and convex structures, often cropping out of the walls. These structures were also covered by Baryte and Marcasite. In some areas small pseudo- stalactites were also present.
During the short time that this chimney pocket was exposed the miners had the chance to take photos and to collect several specimens. Unfortunately, shortly after after the discovery the pocket was flled with concrete and probably will not produce any specimens in the future. However, let’s hope that miners will fnd new pockets flled with Baryte in the region in the future.
CHALCANTHITE
Lab Grown Mineral
Chalcanthite is a sulfate mineral witht the formula CuSO₄·5H₂O and forms crystals of beautiful blue color. This color is a result of copper in the mineral's composition and thus the color can be considered to be natural. This mineral forms naturally inside copper mines but can also be grown under lab conditions where it forms these big impressive crystals. The mineral itself is used in various applications, one of them being to protect grapevine from some fungus. Be aware that if put under direct sunlight it tends to loose its water and the color fades slowly away. Do not lick it since it made of sulfur and copper and can be toxic in excess quantities intaken orally. Keep out of reach of children.
PHOKENITE
Lab Grown Mineral
Phokenite - a Potassium phosphate - does not occur naturally as a mineral but it is grown in a lab in Poland. Its chemical component is used in Europe as a nutrient in horticultre and for yeast.
PHOSPHATE
Lab Grown Mineral
Phosphate: With the formula NHâ‚„ Hâ‚‚ POâ‚„ x Hâ‚‚0 is a hydrated monoamin phosphate which can contain ions of magnesium as well as manganese and was first found in nature in the Niah Great Cave on Borneo, Malaysia. Our minerals with its impressive forms were grown under lab conditions in Poland. Phosphate is used as an additive to yeast to improve wine fermentation.
PRUSKITE
Lab Grown Mineral
Pruskite does not grow naturally but is grown under lab conditions in Poland. Its color, yellow or red, is natural and are a result of the iron inside the mineral's composition. But be aware that the yellow color might fade under direct sunlight. The chemical compound of this mineral is used to develop film the old fashion way and is used as an additive to road salt in Europe. It is not toxic but it is not edible so do not lick or eat it.
SCHALENBLENDE
Natural Mineral
Schalenblende is a layered mineral that occurs in zinc and led deposits in Olkusz, Silesia, southern Poland. It usually consists of a few layers of different minerals: Marcasite, Wurtzite, Galena, and Sphaleryte.
ZINCITE
Zincite is the mineral form of zinc oxide (ZnO). It belongs to a group of very rare minerals. It is a relatively soft mineral with the hardness of 4. However, it is a heavy mineral with the specific gravity of 5.66. Its crystals are hexagonal. In its crystal form Zincite occurs very rarely in nature. It is found in the Franklin and Sterling mines of New Jersey. Zincite can be grown in a laboratory by the hydrothermal method or by oxidizing zinc with carbon dioxide in temperatures around 2000 F. In those conditions the crystals of that mineral can be created. The size of those crystals would be the size of a finger. The colors can range from colorless to green, yellow, orange, to deep red. In Poland Zincite has been created sometimes by accident - in smelters used to produce white powdered zinc needed in the production of white paint. Crystals were slowly growing inside those smelters until the smelters broke down. Sometimes smelter walls were cracking because of high temperature carbon dioxide entering the smelter and reacting with the zinc vapors. When that happened the smelter had to be shut down and then being disassembled in an expensive process. Thus one can say that these crystals are a formed by human activity but in spite of that actually. During the last years factories in Poland improved their environmental technology so there are no more accidents like those described. This means that no new crystals are being formed as of now. Zincite crystals are perfect for jewelry making and cutting. Zincite crystals are semiconductors. They are very important in space technology and military electronics where they substitute silicon (Si). Zincite’s advantage over silicon is that electronic circuits made out of Zincite will not get destructed by electromagnetic impulses or an electromagnetic blast. That makes them very durable under the harshest conditions