Tetrahedrite

Unknown Owner

Bright lustrous metallic crystals of tetrahedrite averaging 0.3 cm in size across the front of matrix. Slight micro-damage present, still in good condition. Good classic German specimen, this comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and would date to the very early 20th century, if not earlier. Mining at Dillenberg in Hesse, Germany was part of the Lahn Dill mining district, a region known for iron ore extraction from Devonian age sedimentary rocks. The area worked primarily siderite and hematite ores from stratiform and vein type deposits that supplied local blast furnaces and ironworks during the 18th and 19th centuries. Underground shafts and adits were developed to follow ore bodies, contributing to the industrial growth of central Germany. Although mining declined in the 20th century as resources were depleted and competition increased, Dillenberg remains associated with the historic iron mining heritage of the Lahn Dill region.