Proustite

Unknown Owner

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This cherry-red proustite almost certainly dates from the 1800s if not earlier, and represents the famous specimens which once came form this ancient silver-mining district. Pieces of this caliber are extremely scarce and hard to come by today, for obvious reasons. This one is complete all around. It is well-crystallized and displays nicely. And, it is superbly translucent when backlit, showing off that deep "ruby silver" color these were famous for. I think this is a very impressive old piece at a very fair price considering what proustite often goes for. In fact, I never understood why the Chilean material which is more recent, is more valuable on the market.