Minerals by Blake

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

09/17/2026

This vein hosted several pockets we are all fond of today, but what came from outside of the pockets was quite the aesthetically pleasing hodgepodge of individual pocket quirks settling in on singular specimens.

Featured here today is this amazing specimen from the Bull Vein of the closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. We have some wonderful fluorites with internal color zones of yellow, plum and clear. Mixed in we have calcite formations that give the specimen a spiky appearance. It’s got a lot going on and I love it.

Available to add to your collection today!

09/16/2026

Sometimes pockets produce truly stellar specimens, but those stellar specimens dwindle down as the pocket is explored further. Featured today is an old-stock piece that truly encompasses all the “ooohs” and “ahhhs;” the quintessence of what was released.

Coming from the Purple Rain Pocket of the closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England is this stunner of a specimen with rich luster across the fluorites, excellent twinning, remarkable color zones and vibrant fluorescence.

Purple Rain was known for all of these characteristics but so few pieces on the market today have everything that checks our boxes as collectors. Denver was another amazing show and I truly found some eye-catching specimens!

09/13/2026

Denver 2026 has been sooooooooo much fun so far and there’s only a few days left for me. Which means it’s time to start planning my “tourist day” for unique backdrops and views so these minerals can DAZZLE you! How about an old castle to start things off? 😏

Featured today is this stunner from the Heavy Metal Pocket, Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. Heavy Metal was best know for dramatic galena co-association and stupendous emerald-green fluorites. Our showy specimen here is light on the galena but HEAVY on the gorgeous fluorites!

I also can’t wait to tease some other upcoming things out of England that a little bird shared with me - more to come later!

08/28/2026

Jumbo twins like this are always a treat, but when you toss in a fluid inclusion… you’re just getting spoiled!

Featured today is this emerald green twin from the Cousin Jack Pocket of the closed Rogerley Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. This pocket was announced with a passion but quickly taken off the market when its entire stock was purchased and held by one entity. It wasn’t until a few years later that flats were sold off to other dealers and made more readily available for a short time.

The little bubble that bounces back and forth adds another element to this already wonderful twin. While the Rogerley Mine is no stranger to larger cubes and twins it’s not too often that they look this darn good!

If you missed UKMV’s announcement earlier this summer the mine’s portal has been collapsed and the chance for a couple more pockets has ended. The mine needed thousands of dollars in restoration and upkeep before search and recovery for new specimens could begin. And for safety reasons leaving the mine’s portal open could lead to hobby collectors inquiring injury or worse.

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0078

I need to spend a little more time with this one in the photo booth… but every rock is a new notch under my belt! My nex...
08/19/2026

I need to spend a little more time with this one in the photo booth… but every rock is a new notch under my belt! My next step is stepping out of the little light box to a custom setup I’ve been tweaking for a while now - results coming soon!

Featured today for my FAVORITE day of the week is this gorgeous fella from the Yum Yum Pocket of the Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. Yum Yum was named by a fellow UK fluorite fanatic when she came to visit the mine, toured a newly discovered pocket and her naming stuck! Known for deep violet colors with moody magenta and green color zones, it’s one pocket that often doesn’t get the love it deserves.

What makes this twin extra special is the elongated form and the double pe*******on! Not to mention the luster and translucency are off the charts!

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0082
minID: 3UU-JGA

08/17/2026

This pocket is just as rich as it sounds on paper - vibrant yellow fluorites with gem-like quartz sprinkled across for an added, dazzling, bonus.

Today’s featured piece comes from the Lemon Meringue Pocket of the closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. Lemon Meringue comes off the yellow-bearing points of the Bull Vein and is most noted for its citrus-yellow fluorites with intermittent clear zones. In some instances we see thin bands of teal and purple, and in even more rarer cases razor thin zones of vibrant green.

The specimen before you hosts three dominant twins and a selection of smaller cubes below. On a thin but sturdy matrix there isn’t much to distract from the beauty exhibited here. When the sun catches the internal banding just right we get to see a subtle shift of lilac colors reflected through!

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0016
minID: YYG-PKL

07/29/2026

FS - We certainly love a sort of “off the books” kind of pocket when it comes to rounding out a suite of fluorites from a specific mine. And now that this mine is officially closed it makes it that much harder to secure these small and adorable pieces in your collection.

Featured today during the evening amber glow is this cutie from the Wilson Vein, Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. The Wilson Vein is one of the primary veins the Lady Annabella Mine exploited in the old Eastgate Quarry and housed such pockets as Fairy Holes, Helen’s and more! Our featured mini is what stood out from all the other pockets that were named and released formally - colorless fluorites with some pillowy calcite filling in all the nooks and crannies.

Message me to add this perfect ‘lil mini into your collection today!

07/25/2026

Completely forgot I took this glamor shot while I was out in California last year - better late than never! Featured today for is this “almost” colorless fluorite from the Heights Mine, Westgate, Weardale, North Pennines, Co. Durham, England.

The Heights Mine proper was primarily worked between 1850 and 1868 for lead and iron ore. The three main veins were the parallel North and South veins and the intersecting West Cross vein. The flats associated with these veins are quite “vuggy” and hosted some amazing green, twinned, fluorite with the more uncommon pale purple and colorless specimens.

Today’s featured twin is that more uncommon example of colorless fluorite with minor inclusions that led to the pale hints of yellow and purple seen on the sun with an overall blue hue. Some well formed, doubly terminated, quartz crystal are also hosted on the crystal’s face.

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0183

I said goodbye the other day to this amazing piece - lovely aesthetics, perfect co-associations and such a weirdo as far...
07/15/2026

I said goodbye the other day to this amazing piece - lovely aesthetics, perfect co-associations and such a weirdo as far as English fluorites go. If you played today’s story guessing game you’ve seen this specimen but it certainly warranted a separate post 🤍

Featured today is this stunner from the Ladywash Mine, Eyam, Derbyshire Dales District, Derbyshire, England. The unique aspect of these colorless fluorites are the sulphide inclusions, or the silver specks of marcasite, suspended in time and appearing to float. On some crystals you can also see a minor presence of iridescent chalcopyrite.

The closure of this historic mine in 1979 leaves behind some old buildings, the main shaft and a ruble pile that some minor fluorites and calcites can still be collected from today.

Ex. Blake Lanser Collection, BL0192
minID: 2MX-8KP

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