Sphalerite on Quartz

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An oldtime Japanese specimen from the collection of the American Museum. The piece has brilliantly lustrous sphalerites of several crystal forms, perched on contrasting white quartz matrix. Some crystals are translucent. It was labeled "Echigo" which is an old name for Niigata Prefecture, today. This probably came out at the same time as some well-known sphalerites from the Burrage collection, also labeled "Echigo " or "Yechigo" on the contemporary labels from that period (and shown on MINDAT now). No telling which mine for sure, but the region seems to have produced good sulfides in the 1800s. This specimen was formerly in the AMNH collection and, most recently, in the Conklin collection.. Joe Budd photos