Wulfenite

$400.00

$40.00 shipping
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Ships from USA

This is not only an unusual association of minerals and an intriguing process of replacement, but it is large too for Tsumeb, at small cabinet size. Forming a complex of intergrown thin bladed crystals, these were originally Wulfenite but have been coated and replaced by moss-green Duftite. A few of these crystals show their exposed internal form, and in these it can be seen that in some a glossy dark brown mineral remains, but with green Duftite also lining tiny spaces inside the blades too. The brown mineral could, conceivably be residual Wulfenite, but another possibility is that Goethite has replaced some of the Wulfenite. As to the Duftite replacement, some is likely to be pseudomorphous, but some are epimorphs - coatings, rather than complete replacement. Ex Hettrich Collection, this is a rich, older piece, probably dating to the 1980s or earlier.