Cassiterite

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Renowned for some of the finest crystallized Cassiterite specimens that the world has seen, the Horní Slavkov (Schlaggenwald) tin deposits at Karlovy Vary Region, Bohemia, Czechia are particularly famous for their twinned crystals. This classically twinned Cassiterite crystal is like the open beak of a bird, but also has the very start of another twin on the opposite side of the main crystal. Black and intensely glossy, the dense crystals have a very small piece of Quartz-rich matrix attached. The crystals are nicely formed, but both twinned crystals have small areas of chipping, or are slightly incomplete during their growth, but the central crystal is really well-formed, a great 3 cm across, and has only very microscopic signs of wear to its edges. A true Czech classic. Ex Hans Engelbrecht Collection, no. 3060.