Sperrylite

$22,500.00

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The ArkenstoneFeatured

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This is a significant and rather large crystal of the platinum arsenide mineral Sperrylite on a contrasting matrix of Chalcopyrite, from the classic locality for collectible specimens of the species. Sperrylite has the finest crystals of any platinum-bearing mineral species and the best ones originate from the Oktyabrsky Mine in Russia, as this one does (mostly from late 1990s release of a stash of Soviet reserves collected years prior). This piece dates to Ed's second collection, sold off by us in 2005 (and to Paul). This dates the piece to Ed's acquisition when the Soviet reserves were sold in a high security room at Tucson in the late 1990s, to great fanfare (although some other dealers had specimens as well, so we cannot prove it - in any case, not contemporary). Normally, matrix plates are ugly messes of rounded ore with scattered crystals, and nearly all large crystals over 1 cm are crackly and tend to have damage issues. This matrix plate features one single prominent and complex, bright metallic silvery gray, 1.7 cm crystal perfectly perched nicely situated on a piece of brassy yellow-metallic Chalcopyrite matrix. The crystal is pristine and as you can see is not cracked or broken, as are so many. Sperrylite is the only platinum mineral that forms great crystals of any kind, let alone spectacularly lustrous and sometimes large crystals like these! Generally, the bigger they are the more deformed and crackled they become as well. It is uncommon to find freestanding crystals like this one, as the majority are normally frozen in the matrix. This is an excellent miniature for the species, formerly in the Ed David and Paul Stahl collections. Great Sperrylite specimens like this are just so rare on market and nothing like this has come to market in years. Ex. Paul Stahl collection - 28925.