Updated 3d ago

Stephanite

$9,500.00

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An old and very rare specimen of the rare silver mineral Xanthoconite with abundant intense gemmy red crystals of Proustite and rare Stephanite on botryoidal Native Arsenic with Calcite, from the old mining district of Jáchymov, Czechia. Rare scattered gemmy to opaque lustrous orange micro-crystal clusters of Xanthoconite to 1 mm are formed on a wonderfully sculptural botryoidal mass of dull grey Native Arsenic. Crystals of very lustrous ruby-red prismatic-pyramidal Proustite are also scattered and clustered over the Native Arsenic. In rare association are intergrown crystals of metallic grey Stephanite. White lustrous platy crystals of Calcite are intergrown with the Native Arsenic too. The specimen comes with an American Museum of Natural History label, and two photocopies of old labels, one of which indicates that the museum acquired it from Dr Lothar Burghardt (1883-1956) in 1921, but another label suggests that it dates to the 19th century. This is a remarkably beautiful display specimen of these rare silver species and with such great historic provenance just adds to its enormous class.