Minerals by Blake

06/16/2026

FS - My collecting style can certainly be characterized by “unique weirdos that a lot of people pass over the first time.” Today’s featured specimen definitely fits the bill for a unique weirdo.

Coming out of the Poison Ivy Pocket of the closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England is this cluster with a whole lot going on. This pocket was made up of the primary pocket itself and three sub pockets noted within the region of the mine - Toxic Apple, Minty Cheesecake and the lesser known Mini Gem.

What makes this piece so unique is it adds a little sprinkle of all four iterations into one handheld specimen. The larger cubes exhibit traits from Toxic Apple with intense electric greens and from Minty Cheesecake with frosted mint-green faces. From Mini Gem we see a ridge of small, gem-like twins of pale green fluorite and from the region is a whole the association with crude cuboctahedral galena crystals.

Not too often that we see such an amalgamation of different pockets all fitting in the palm of your hand! This piece is available to add to your collection today.

06/15/2026

The most recent discovery out of Diana Maria hit the sun in September of 2025 from the furthest drivage north alongside the Greenbank Vein. This small pocket is a classic example of the exemplary green fluorites the UK is known for. What I’m featuring today is one heck of a specimen and is recognizable from your ID labels that accompanied each piece.

From the Pyjama Pocket, Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England is an unforgettable specimen. The large and main focal twin features the beginning of beveled edges, deep emerald green color, unparalleled daylight fluorescence and several fluid inclusions. Two of these larger fluid inclusions exhibit a wide range of motion while three other “bubbles” noted in the twin are stationary with minimal reaction.

Finding one fluid inclusion is always a treat, but this many in a twin this size is pretty much unheard of. In addition to these bonus factors, the specimen ticks all the boxes for traits of the Pyjama Pocket - larger emerald green twins sitting on a bed of pale green fluorite, frosted intergrown cubic crystals hosting the gem-like twins, complex growth lines and faces that slope towards the center.

I was super happy to receive a DM from the miner that brought this specimen to the surface. On October 10th, 2025 Louis Chambers, of the UK Mining Ventures specimen recovery team, unearthed this beauty and immediately noticed the fluid inclusions. This was one of the last specimens to come out that day and surely left an unforgettable memory for Louis.

Blake Lanser Collection, BL0269

06/13/2026

FS - Ahhhhhh yes, another Fluorite Friday is here… let us bask in the glory of a light summer breeze after the humidity finally broke here in Iowa 🙂‍↕️

Featured today is this absolutely spectacular mini from the Harvest Pocket of the closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. Harvest Pocket was a small cavity within the Bull Vein that earned its title due to these straw-yellow, with a hint of lemon, fluorites that dazzle any onlooker.

What is special about this piece is it sort of does the opposite - the larger the cube, the more gem-like; smaller the cube, the more opaque. Our mini cluster here exhibits small cubes, twins, with top-tier clarity and intricate color bands; minor hints of lavender as it fluoresces in the sun. Available to add to your collection today!

゚

06/12/2026

I’m happy to see someone finally snatched up this cute twin on such an amazing deal - because truly it is a gorgeous twin with a perfect co-association of calcite.

Coming from the Sherry Twins Pocket of the closed Lady Annabella Mine, Eastgate, Weardale, Co. Durham, England is this stunning ‘lil twin that really catches your eye the more you turn and inspect these enchanting internal colors.

The penetrating twin features internal color zones of sherry, caramel, yellow and pink with a primary colorless zone at the outer edge of the crystal. It’s not too often that we get to see this depth of color from an English fluorite but the best specimens are known for both their subtly and complexity.

Ex. Blake Lanser Collection, BL0266
minID: 827-233

06/11/2026

The official statement on the Rogerley Mine 💚

On Friday June 5, 2026, the board of UK Mining Ventures Ltd took the difficult decision to close Rogerley Mine for good.

As there has been much speculation around our decision we feel that we should explain our reasoning, and to reassure our customers that the neighbouring Diana Maria Mine is still fully accessible and currently extracting some of the finest specimens of green Fluorite that we have ever seen.

Rogerley Mine, as you will no doubt be familiar, was Britain’s first commercial specimen mining Fluorite operation, commenced in 1972 by Lindsay and Patricia Greenbank and Michael and Brenda Sutcliffe. They ran it until 1996. In 1999 UK Mining Ventures LLC took over the mine and operated it successfully until 2016, extending the workings northwards along the Greenbank Vein. In 2017, it was acquired by ourselves, UK Mining Ventures Ltd, and we commenced a second mine a few hundred metres to the north, called Diana Maria Mine. Both mines are separate entities but Diana Maria Mine, being the modern operation, is structurally sound with all of the workings having been developed by us.

Rogerley Mine, on the other hand, was beginning to show its age. The old adit into Rogerley Mine had become unsafe, and the ageing timber supports - some of which had been in place for 50 years - were deteriorating. For any modern mining operation health and safety is paramount and so, as operators, we would have had to invest significantly in structural supports and could not simply leave the mine open. This is especially so, with the temptation for trespassers to gain access in search of specimens. After careful consideration, and with Diana Maria Mine producing so well, UKMV Ltd made the executive decision to seal Rogerley Mine for good, pictured, thereby eliminating any risk of trespass, and allowing us to focus our attention on Diana Maria Mine.

Importantly, Diana Maria Mine also provides access via a drift level into the northernmost part of the Greenbank Vein in the Rogerley Mine sett and we have recently discovered excellent pockets through active prospecting in that area. It is specifically the old Rogerley Mine workings that have been sealed, but should we desire to re-explore the workings at a later date, a drivage south along the Greenbank Vein could achieve this.

We sincerely hope that this clarifies the situation and reassure our customers that the supply of Fluorite will continue.

06/08/2026

The weekend has come and gone, and so did my first time vending in-person! Had so much fun with Market and can’t wait till next year.

Today’s featured stunner comes from the newly released Pyjama Pocket out of the Diana Maria Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, Co. Durham, England. This classic-green pocket produced some great specimens but only a handful of these large cubes with immaculate color and vibrant daylight fluorescence. I saw this one used in a preview before the release and knew I had to snag it for the collection… unless another stunning pieces comes along (foreshadowing) 😏

What I love about this piece is the immediate “wow” of what put Weardale fluorites at the top of the green fluorites and how the light plays around in this gem-like twin. All in all it’s a perfect example of the pocket!

06/07/2026

Rain has drifted away, come join us at the Lucky Star Iowa Market - the Fareway parking lot, Burnett Avenue!

06/06/2026

Fluorite Friday calls for a little cutie as we head into a nice and warm summer-esque weekend!

If you hadn’t had a chance to check out my Story yet you’ll see my news about the Rogerley Mine… keep your tissues on standbye… I didn’t have time to get a post ready so feast your eyes on this yellow cutie instead!

Coming out of the Hilton Mine, Scordale, Murton, Eden, Cumbria, England, UK. This mine was initially worked for its galena by the London Lead Company, and a slew of other companies, until its abandonment in 1963. The area surrounding is now within a firing range for military operations and should not be explored unless noted safe on specific days.

I’ve always loved these rich and sunny yellows that come out of the mine. And the little mini twins are an absolute treat!

06/04/2026

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

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