Pyrargyrite

$7,500.00

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This remarkable specimen comes from a region of immense silver mining heritage. Ratiboritschka, or Ratibořské Hory in South Bohemia, is known to have had silver mines from the early 16th century, but probably much earlier. Small cabinet in size, the specimen is dominated by a lovely, large and highly lustrous modified cubo-octahedral Galena crystal over which a coating of small cream coloured Calcite crystals have developed on two sides, leaving the main crystal faces of Galena open for viewing and is very displayable. Along one edge of the Galena crystal small well-formed darker Pyrargyrite crystals are clustered, showing nicely where the silver came from in these mines. The rear of the specimen shows cleavage planes in the Galena where it has been trimmed or removed from matrix, but the front of the specimen is in stunning condition given its undoubted age. This is a extremely important specimen of the type rarely seen outside of historic museums and was in Professor Werner Paar's stunning collection.