Quartz from Homestake Mine, Lead District, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA

A very unusual specimen from South Dakota for the quartz collector, and pretty too! This is a water-clear and gemmy quartz crystal included with and wrapped by a garland of iridescent pyrite flashing red and purple hues. Ex. Tom Campbell collection.

now in the Christopher Wentzell Mineral Trust Collection. The Homestake Mine was discovered in 1875 and was purchased by George Hearst, Lloyd Tevis, and James Haggin from the original claimants in 1877. Hearst and his partners then formed the Homestake Mining Company and sold shares. In 1879 the Homestake Mining Company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). When the mine closed in 2002 it was reportedly the largest and deepest underground gold mine in North America, and the Homestake Company was one of the longest-listed stocks on the NYSE