Sphalerite on Quartz - image 1

Sphalerite on Quartz

A

Alexander Schauss
0 for sale
Sphalerite on quartz, 2.5 cm, from the 9th of September mine, Mogila-North section, Madan, Rhodope Mountains, Smolyan Region, Bulgaria. Illustrated in Mineral Collections in Arizona-I (2013). Ex Mike Bergmann; Jeff Scovil photo.

Product details

Species
Sphalerite, QuartzAbout Sphalerite →
SizeThumbnail
Dimensions2.5 cm
Added on02/13/2026
Locality
Bulgaria, Smolyan Province, Madan ore fieldRegional guide →
Publications
  • Mineralogical Record Refined Elegance page 110

Known provenance

DateCollectorAcquisition price
—Mike BergmannNot disclosed

Learn more

Sphalerite
Mineral guide
Learn about Sphalerite
diverse colors from honey to black, gemmy, diamond-like luster, and localities worldwide; a collector favorite for dramatic crystals and color.
Sphalerite
Regional guide
Sphalerite from Madan Ore Field, Bulgaria
from the Madan Ore Field belongs to one of Europe’s great sulfide-specimen traditions: dark, lustrous zinc sulfide from a long-worked Rhodope mining district where galena, quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite, calcite, dolomite, manganocalcite, rhodochrosite, and skarn silicates combine in exceptionally displayable specimens. The appeal is rarely a single mineral in isolation. Madan sphalerite is at its best when it forms the dark, resinous-to-submetallic architecture beneath bright galena cubes, sharp quartz, brass-yellow chalcopyrite, or warm carbonate crusts—classic lead-zinc mine aesthetics with a distinctly Bulgarian accent.