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toms. The Hartsell deposit in Park County has produced thousands of dirty yellow to blue bladed clusters of crystals, typically without matrix. This material is light sensitive and a good dose of sunshine will turn the pale crystals more blue. As they fade, placing them in sunlight can restore color. The Book Cliffs in Mesa County has produced water-clear crystals in concretions that weather from the Mancos Shale. Some of this material has also been faceted. A deposit near Muddy Creek in Rio Grande County has produced gray to stark white sharp crystals to about 4 inches in length. Matrix pieces are common, with the best specimens showing crystals rising off the matrix with great relief.
The old Cheshire Baryte mine in Cheshire, New Haven County, Connecticut formerly supplied good specimens as clear to white individuals in veins in sandstone.
The Paga mine near Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia has been a favorite for southeastern collectors, producing matrix-free clusters of a pale blue color. Those with any luster are quite aesthetic, and some are attractively contrasted with black manganese oxide minerals.
In Illinois, the fluorite mines in the Cave in Rock and Harris Creek districts have produced specimens with baby blue rosettes of barite crystals set upon golden calcite. The lustrous white stalactitic barites from Hardin County are also noteworthy. The Gaskins mine produced sharp yellow crystals on fluorite. Plates of small white barite crystals were wrought from the Minerva Mine #1.
The geode areas of southern Indiana are good places to find thin golden barite blades within quartz geodes. Calcite-filled geodes are etched to reveal the barite within and crystals to over 3 inches are known. The best areas seem to be around the Harrodsburg cut south of Bloomington.
The Linwood mine in Scott County, Iowa has produced plumose groups of pastel yellow barite crystals without matrix as well as sharp crystals on matrix.
In Michigan, the Lucy mine near Negaunee is home to the Wolverine State's premier barite locality. Pale pink bow ties of barite on manganite are known, as are balls of plated crystals on manganite and pyrolusite. The contrast between the pale bar
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ite and the very dark matrix is striking.
Missouri was once a major producer of industrial barite, and the diggings near Potosi in Washington County are popular with collectors. Most of the barite occurs as reddish brown blades forming elongated rosettes on "Missouri agate"…a kind of drusy quartz with very fine banding. The Lamb mine in Morgan County is home to good specimens.
In Montana, the Pack Rat mine in Carbon County has produced golden orange to brown gemmy crystals without matrix. Rosettes of translucent to transparent crystals are common. Fine, single crystals and attractive clusters of thick golden barite crystals continue to be dug from Jefferson County.
Nevada is home to several good localities. Specimens from the Northumberland mine in Nye County occurred as very large prismatic crystals with a dull luster. The Dee mine has produced golden barite crystals with pyrite inclusions. The Rosebud mine in Pershing County has produced good crystals with associated pyrite and other sulfides...some crystals reach about 4 inches across. The Murray mine in Elko County, (noted for its stibnites) has produced some "sugary" barite crystals with associated stibnite crystals. One of the most interesting localities is the Regent mine in Mineral County, noted for orpiment-included clear crystals to just over an inch. Other antimony, arsenic and mercury minerals have been noted as inclusions...these are unique.
In New Mexico the Juanita and Kelly mines near Magdalena in Socorro County have been the source of thin bladed golden to brown crystals without matrix.
The area near Norman in Oklahoma is known
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