S001 Pyrite sphere  (Peru)

 

This amazing sphere has been carved from a very high grade pyrite from Peru. Chemically pyrite is a combination of iron and sulphur and has been mined as an iron ore for centuries.

 

Weight: 10.93KG Width: 17cm 

S002 Pyrite sphere  (Peru)

 

The name Pyrite comes from the Greek word "pyr" meaning "fire," and was named such because it was found that sparks would fly from it if struck against another mineral (best if Iron or Steel).  In early times, this sparking ability gave man one way of creating fire; in later times, this ability made it popular for use in early firearms devices such as the wheel lock.


 Weight: 22.58KG Width: 21cm 

S003 Aventurine sphere  (Brazil)

 

Green Aventurine is a gentle supporting and comforting stone. It is a good all round healer and can calm anger and irritation while stimulating emotional recovery. Green Aventurine can reinforce leadership qualities and decisiveness and can help us to see alternatives and possibilities, gently encouraging us to persevere.


 Weight: 44KG Width: 31cm 

S004 Sodalite sphere  (Brazil)

 

Sodalite is said to be an excellent stone for the mind, bringing mental clarity and encouraging rational thought. It is also said to calm the mind allowing new information to be processed and taken in.


 Weight: 43.6KG Width: 34cm 

S005 Labradorite sphere  (Madagascar)

 

Originally named after Labrador, Newfoundland where is was first discovered, this is an unusually large specimen exhibiting a striking blue flash across its surface. The colourful play of light is called "labradorescence" and is caused by refraction of light within the stone's surface.


 Weight: 23KG Width: 25.5cm

 

S006 A rare sea or ocean jasper sphere

 on a turned marble socle (Madagascar)

 

This is a variety of quartz or silicon dioxide that is only found in Madagascar. It is quarried at low tide from the sea floor and thus has earned its name. The name jasper is derived from the Greek and means 'spotted stone'.

 

Weight: 10.4KG Width: 19cm

S007 Yellow Ocean Jasper Sphere

 (Madagascar)

 

Presented on a turned black marble plinth base. As above, it is quarried at low tide from the sea floor and thus has earned its name. The name jasper is derived from the Greek and means 'spotted stone'.

 

Weight: 28.7KG Width: 29.2cm

S008 Chrysocolla sphere (Peru)

Sometimes called the 'earth stone' because of its terrestrial appearance, this is an excellent example of this copper-based mineral.

Weight: 4.5KG Width: 13cm

S009  Fossil wood sphere (Madagascar)

 

Cretaceous, approx 135 million years old. This is an ancient tree trunk that has been turned to stone. Over millennia, each cell has been replaced by quartz to produce a copy of the original. Petrification occurs where the trees after death, are covered by fine-grained sediments. Circulating waters loosen the organic substances and replace them with mineral substances.

 

Weight: 22.1KG Width: 25.5cm

S010 An unusually large agate and amethyst sphere

 on a turned marble socle (Brazil)

 

This is a combination of bluish agate and amethyst. Both are forms of quartz or silicon dioxide. This sphere has been cut from an agate nodule which formed in a volcanic environment, crystallising out of solution. The purple colour of amethyst is due to the presence of iron and manganese.

 

Weight: 6.7KG Width: 17.8cm

S011 A huge and wonderful amethyst sphere (Brazil)

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz often used as an ornamental gem stone in jewellery. The name comes from the Hellènic a- ("not") and methustos ("to intoxicate"), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from insobriety; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication.

 

Weight: 18KG Width: 22.5cm

S012 Amethyst sphere (Brazil)

 

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz often used as an ornamental gem stone in jewellery.

Amethyst is said to aid creative thinking and spiritual awareness.

 

Weight: KG Width: cm 

S013 A large and rare chrysocolla sphere (Arizona, USA)

 

The name chrysocolla was first used by Theophrastus in 315BC and comes from the Greek chrysos, meaning "gold" and kolla meaning "glue", in allusion to the material used to solder gold. It is typically found as vein fillings which explains the patterns seen in this exceptionally large sphere.

 

Weight: 14.1KG Width: 23cm

S014 A large tiger iron sphere (Australia)

 

Composed of black hematite, red jasper and golden tiger-eye, this rock is between two and three billion years old. It is of sedimentary origin, laid down layer by layer. Over time it has been subjected to great pressure and tremendous heat resulting in the dramatic folds seen in this example.

 

Weight: 15.4KG Width: 19cm

S015 A rare orbicular jasper (ocean jasper) sphere (Madagascar)

 

Madagascar is the sole source for sea jasper, which is mined from a beach environment. The name jasper is derived from Greek, meaning "spotted stone".

 

Weight: 9.7KG Width: 18cm

S016 A picture sandstone sphere (Utah, USA)

 

This rock was deposited as a wind-blown sediment resulting in the intriguing patterns and formations.

 

Weight: 9.9KG Width: 20cm

S017 Polished Lapis Lazuli sphere (Afghanistan)

 

Lapis is a gemstone straight out of the fairy tale  Arabian Nights. It was first introduced to Europe by Alexander the Great, where the colour was called "ultramarine" meaning "from beyond the seas". Its modern name is a combination of lapis, the Latin word for "stone", and the Arabian word azuli, denoting the colour.

 

Weight: 2.69KG Width: 11cm

S018 Polished Lapis Lazuli sphere (Afghanistan)

 

Lapis lazuli is in fact a rock, containing several  minerals. Its quality and value is determined by the colour and abundance of the blue mineral lazurite. Other minerals occurring in lapis lazuli include hauyne, sodalite, wollastonite, pyroxenes, amphiboles and calcite. Traces of pyrite pepper the rock with an unmistakable, golden-yellow or silver sparkle.

 

Weight: 4.02KG Width: 13cm

S019 Polished Lapis Lazuli sphere (Afghanistan)

 

As lapis lazuli (arabic-latin blue stone) is composed of several minerals - if only in small quantities (augite, calcite, diopside, mica, hauynite, hornblende, pyrite) - some experts consider it not to be a mineral, but a rock; the main ingredient being lazurite.

 

Weight: 3.97KG Width: 13cm

S020 Septaria sphere (France?)

 

Septarians were formed during Cretaceous period about 65 million years ago. Decomposing sealife killed by volcanic eruptions had a chemical attraction for the sediment around them, forming mud balls. As the ocean receded, the balls were left dry and crack.  Decomposing calcite from sea-shells was carried down into the cracks in the balls forming calcite crystals. These are the dark brown crystals lining the cavity - here they are Aragonite, a form of calcite.

 

Weight: 6.2KG Width: 16cm

S021 Beautiful agate and amethyst sphere (Brazil)

 

This is a combination of bluish agate and amethyst. Both are forms of quartz or silicon dioxide. This sphere has been cut from an agate nodule which formed in a volcanic environment, crystallising out of solution. The purple colour of amethyst is due to the presence of iron and manganese.

 

Weight: 3.17KG Width: 13cm

S022 Craspedodiscus Ammonite  sphere (Russia)

 

This is a very large and rare specimen cut and polished from a huge Craspedodiscus ammonite found in Hauterivian sediments in Ulyanovsk, Russia. This well preserved specimen is filled up by a vibrant yellow orange  Calcite, the dark grey/black material is Aragonite  which also contains fragments of shell and borders of golden Pyrite

 

Weight: 9.1KG Width: 16cm

S023 Craspedodiscus Ammonite sphere (Russia)

In this example, ammonite has been cut into a sphere to reveal the internal structure and beauty of the Ammonite.

Weight: 1.6KG Width: 10cm

S024  Ocean Jasper sphere (Madagascar)

 

Jasper is an ornamental rock composed mostly of chalcedony or microcrystalline quartz, in association with other minerals  colourful bands and patterns result which create a planetary aesthetic. Jasper was a favourite gem in the ancient world and can be traced back in Hebrew, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Latin cultures. The name is derived from the Greek and means 'spotted stone'.

 

Weight: 3.18KG Width: 13.5cm

S025  Chrysocholla sphere (Peru)

 

Sometimes called the 'earth stone' because of its terrestrial appearance, this is an excellent example of this copper-based mineral.

 

Weight: 10.4KG Width: 19cm

S026 Chrysacolla sphere (USA)

 

Chrysocolla crystals are usually intergrown with quartz and opal. It has a bright bluish green appearance with occasional copper patches. Chrysocolla is said to eliminate negativity in the home or environment as well as having healing properties.

 

Weight: 1.86KG Width: 12cm

S027  Kambaba Jasper sphere (Madagascar)

 

Jasper is an opaque variety of Chalcedony, which is a variety of microcrystalline fibrous Quartz. The colour is due to minute quantities of various elements; and Jaspers are in every colour and variation. Kambaba Jasper is distinguished by it's green and black colouration. It is an excellent protection stone, providing protection  for both terrestrial and astral travellers.

 

Weight: 5.4KG Width: 16cm

S028 Astrophyllite sphere (Russia)

 

Astrophyllite is a rare titanium mineral found in some unusual granites and syenites. It produces a variable luster that can be nearly metallic in one specimen to vitreous in another. Its name translated means star sheets and probably is in allusion to the intergrown star like aggregates that it can form.

 

Weight: 0.49KG Width: 6cm

S029 Ocean Jasper sphere (Madagascar)

 

Jasper is an ornamental rock composed mostly of chalcedony or microcrystalline quartz, in association with other minerals its  colourful bands and patterns create a planetary aesthetic. Jasper was a favourite gem in the ancient world and can be traced back in Hebrew, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Latin cultures . The name is derived from the Greek and means 'spotted stone'.

 

Weight: 3.6KG Width: 14cm

S030  Fine petrified wood sphere (Madagascar)

 

Petrified wood (from the Greek root "petro" meaning "rock" or "stone", literally "wood turned into stone") is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (most often a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen.

 

Weight: 1.94KG Width: 11cm

S031 Fossil wood sphere (Arizona, USA)

 

Petrified wood is 225 million years old, from the Triassic Era, when dinosaurs ruled the earth. This beautiful petrified wood is only found in Arizona.

 

Weight: 21.9KG Width: 24cm 

S032 A large and rare fossil wood sphere (Arizona, USA)

 

This petrified wood was formed approximately 225 million years ago during the Triassic period. When southern volcanic mountains erupted, the trees toppled and were swept into waterways. Streams deposited the logs into marshes where they were covered with mud containing volcanic ash.

 

Weight: 40KG Width: 28cm

S033 A large and rare fossil wood sphere (Arizona, USA)

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Petrification began when chemicals were released during decomposition. As water saturated the log, these chemicals reacted with the wood and formed quartz crystals. By itself quartz is colourless but the colours result from the presence of trace elements. Copper, cobalt and chromium give the blues and greens, manganese the pinks and oxides of iron provide the reds and yellows. Over time, the process converts the entire log into stone. It is four time as hard as granite and is similar to agate in composition and appearance.

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Weight: 40KG Width: 28cm