Specimen traders since 1952
Every crystal is a frozen argument between pressure and patience.
Cabinet Brut was founded in Lyon by Henri Vaugier, a geologist who believed that mineral specimens should be handled with the same reverence as works of art. Seventy-three years later, that conviction remains unchanged.
We source from working mines and private collections across four continents. Each specimen in our inventory has been verified for provenance, examined for structural integrity, and catalogued with the precision of a museum acquisition.
Our clients include institutions, collectors, and designers who understand that a piece of the earth, properly selected, outlasts every trend.
Weibel, China
Exceptional purple-to-green zoning. Twin crystal formation with sharp, undamaged edges. 12.4 cm on matrix. Acquired from the estate of Dr. Lin Wei, 2019.
Nagar, Pakistan
Gem-quality hexagonal prism, 8.7 cm. Santa Maria blue saturation. No visible inclusions under 10x. One of three from the 2021 Shigar Valley find.
Sparta, Illinois
Rare discoid pyrite concretion, 6.2 cm diameter. Radiating crystal structure preserved in carbonaceous shale matrix. Pre-1980s material — this locality is now exhausted.
Over four thousand specimens catalogued. Each one a record of conditions that no longer exist — temperatures, pressures, chemical environments that the earth has long since moved on from. To hold a crystal is to hold a moment that cannot be repeated.
14 Rue des Minéraux
69001 Lyon, France
45.7640° N, 4.8357° E
Tuesday – Friday: 10h – 18h
Saturday: 11h – 17h
Sunday – Monday: Closed
+33 4 78 00 00 00
specimen@cabinetbrut.fr