Minerals by Blake

Minerals by Blake Welcome to Minerals by Blake! Provenance is Key - curating exquisite, one of a kind, pieces.

Packing up all these wonderful minerals - can’t wait to see everyone on Sunday! 🫶🏼💚
06/04/2026

Packing up all these wonderful minerals - can’t wait to see everyone on Sunday! 🫶🏼💚

One of my absolute favorite pieces I’ve had the pleasure of inducting into my collection! It’s not every day that we see...
05/29/2026

One of my absolute favorite pieces I’ve had the pleasure of inducting into my collection!

It’s not every day that we see three variations of fluorite sitting so casually next to each other - pink, green and colorless.

Helen’s Pocket, Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England.

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0003

05/28/2026

FS - There may be an abundance of green fluorite in the UK, but somehow I always fall in love with, and hoard, the purple fluorites 😅

Today’s featured specimen is one I’m ashamed to say I had stashed away and forgotten about. Coming from the Purple Rain Pocket of the now-closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England is this wonderfully aesthetic cluster of cubes and twins.

Perched at the top, and right in the center, is a perfectly lustrous and translucent twin with internal color zones of lavender, violet and magenta. If you look to the back of the specimen, the center twin has begun to dissolve away due to a mineral rich solution dripping down, leading to the dissolution seen. This was a first for me - getting to see clear evidence of dissolution on an English fluorite.

Available to add to your collection today, don’t miss out on this wonderfully perfect weirdo! 💜

This pocket didn’t really make a splash on the market as days before the initial collector’s release it was announced th...
05/26/2026

This pocket didn’t really make a splash on the market as days before the initial collector’s release it was announced the entire pocket’s production had been purchased. It wasn’t until mid-2023 that more of these began to pop up on the market after a large portion of the back-stock was sold off and subsequently made available directly to collectors.

Featured here today are the glamour shots for one of my absolute favorite pieces from the Cousin Jack Pocket out of the Rogerley Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. We all know the Rogerley Mine is well known for vibrant green fluorites with IMMENSE blue fluorescence out in the sun. Cousin Jack broke the mold with unprecedented quality and eye-catching aesthetics.

Our featured piece today is two amazing twins perched on a bed of smaller fluorites that stumps most purely because it has two amazing displays and begs the question, “Which side faces down and causes me the least sadness….” So happy who this piece ended up heading off to as they are just as big of a UK fluorite fanatic as me!

Ex. Blake Lanser Collection, BL0136
minID: UY7-86E

05/22/2026

FS – Featured today is one of my favorite phenomena found in the Weardale area (and other areas around the world, but Weardale’s are just super “funky”). These elongated fluorite crystals just really make you stop and do a double take.

Coming from the Green Toad Pocket of the now-closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England is this odd cluster of mold-breaking, elongated, pale green and occluded fluorites.

The Green Toad Pocket is well known to produce many instances of modified twins and cubes with the elongated weirdos being highly sought after. Our featured piece today is an amalgamation of funkiness and makes me smile every time I take it out in the sun. Available to add to your collection today!

Weardale Wednesday! Here’s a rarity for ya - a single twin from the Smoky Rabbit Pocket, Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, W...
05/20/2026

Weardale Wednesday! Here’s a rarity for ya - a single twin from the Smoky Rabbit Pocket, Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England.

Few single twins came from this 2021 pocket, and the ones that did were dinged and bruised. This sharp twin captured the essence of the blackberry-purple fluorites the pocket was known for!

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0066
minID: AED-3DU

05/18/2026

FS - Iowa has now entered our “5 days of sun, 5 days of clouds/rain” season… yay… Can someone take me back to sunny Tucson? I don’t even mind if it’s 110° outside 😅

Featured today is this glassy and wonderfully fluorescent twin from the Purple Rain Pocket of the now-closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. Purple Rain sets the standard for fluorescent purple fluorites with some of the best reactions I’ve seen. And when they are that good, why not sprinkle in some amazing and vibrant zones of blue raspberry, magenta, and royal purple!

Overall, this twin took a tumble or two during the mining process, but on color alone I’d recommend snagging this and let it set up shop in your collection. You can adopt this cutie today, just send me a message!

Venturing outside of the UK today for an adorable, “ice cube on a stick,” of sorts 🧊 Colorless fluorite on quartz from ...
05/18/2026

Venturing outside of the UK today for an adorable, “ice cube on a stick,” of sorts 🧊

Colorless fluorite on quartz from Dalnegorsk, Kavalerovo, Primorsky Krai, Far-Eastern Region, Russia.

26x20mm
Ex. Arvid Eric Pasto, No. 1145
Blake Lanser Collection, BL0141

05/14/2026

FS - This pocket produced some unique pieces during the summer months of 2003 and 2004 due to the late stage coating of fine-grained sucrosic quartz over these light green and hazy fluorites.

Today’s featured specimen comes from the Corner Pocket of the Rogerley Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. During these early years of exploration the mine fell to the stewardship of Jesse Fisher and Cal Graeber - an American based team that made the hop across the pond each summer to mine, bring to market and hope they found enough to sustain next year’s season. The pocket was found on the northern edge of the West Crosscut Zone - an area of quartz heavy specimens and a range of emerald to pale greens with a lovely blue daylight fluorescence!

After some research and chats with Rogerley Mine experts we concluded that this piece is from the Corner Pocket based on the sucrosic quartz, composition and shade of the green fluorites. Connecting these old pieces to their pockets can be difficult, but this one was fun and made us chuckle. Message to scoop this up and add it to your collection today!

This piece has a little “dual personalities” going on 🤔 One twin with the corroded faces, white fluorite immersed like a...
05/14/2026

This piece has a little “dual personalities” going on 🤔 One twin with the corroded faces, white fluorite immersed like a galaxy and a sharp magenta zone in the corners. A second twin that’s complete glass with top-tier luster and unbeatable color!

Milky Way Pocket, Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England.

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0239

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