Bournonite

$1,250.00

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37 sold last year · median $400.00 · last sale $3,450.00

The ArkenstoneFeatured

3,395 for sale·796 sold

This is an excellent and historic thumbnail featuring two sharp and very prominent, mirror-like Bournonite crystals associated with some microcrystalline pale pink Calcite from the Chichibu Mine in Japan! These are rarely, if ever, seen and this is an exceptional thumbnail for this historic Japanese locality. The two, prominent, sharp Bournonites measure 6 and 5 mm, respectively, and there are a dozen smaller crystals on the piece that show through the off-white to slightly iron-stained Calcite for nice contrast. The Chichibu district produced the first Copper mined in Japan in 707 B.C. and a placer Gold deposit was found in the area in 1610 with conventional mining starting in the Chichibu Mine in 1910; and polymetallic ore mining ceasing in 1978. Given Seel's collecting era, this is likely from late 1800s production.