Sylvanite from Baia de Arieș, Alba County, Romania

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Sylvanite is a rare silver gold telluride mineral which was first found in the Transylvania region of Romania in the early 19th century. This rich miniature specimen is not from the Type Locality but from a deposit (Baia Mare) in a neighbouring county, but is a really great example for the price, featuring abundant blades of silver-grey Sylvanite cutting through vein Quartz in a web-like pattern. None of the blades are terminated, but they certainly demonstrate the classic 'meshed' interlocking form of the crystals within Quartz and some reach 8 or 9 mm in length. The back of this thin specimen is host rock and the main Quartz vein containing Sylvanite follows one side of the specimen as a quite broad area. It comes from David Hardman's collection (no. 2248).