Sphalerite

$1,200.00

$40.00 shipping
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'Gem' Sphalerite is a very rare variety of the zinc sulphide which transmits light so well that it glows with an internal 'fire'. There are very few places where large crystallized masses have been found and far fewer where actual well-defined crystals are seen. Banská Štiavnica in central Slovakia is one such place, but great crystals are exceedingly rare, making this cabinet-sized display specimen something very special indeed. It features a main 4.5 cm wide golden brown twinned crystal with a resinous lustre, with many other smaller crystals alongside and elsewhere on the main display surface. Many of these crystals display flashes of internal golden brilliance and show superb triangular surface crystal growth textures. The specimen itself, has a darker brown opaque to translucent Sphalerite base with finely crystallized grey-white Quartz overgrowing as a thin layer of crystals followed by golden to brassy small Chalcopyrite crystals and the larger gem Sphalerite crystals. There is only very minor contact chipping to the larger Sphalerite crystal and the Chalcopyrite in a few places, but overall this is an exceptional crystallized gem Sphalerite, from anywhere, let alone this historically important mining region. Ex Dr Bartnik Collection, no. 991.