Calcite from Herja Mine, Baia Mare, Maramureș County, Romania

Tightly intergrown crystals of curved, rhombohedral calcite are assembled into beautiful rosettes. Inclusions of fine, needle-like crystals of boulangerite give the calcite its dark colouration. Since the closure of the Herja Mine in 2006, these aesthetic and wonderfully unique calcite specimens have become both highly sought after and increasingly scarce. This specimen was found in 1998. It comes from the collection of Nick Hawes. Nick is a leading member of the Sussex Mineral and Lapidary Society, and has assembled one of the largest contemporary British collections.