Pyromorphite Var. Arsenian

Unknown Owner

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From the early 1980s, 1980-1982, a flood of pyromorphite flowed out of this now classic, defunct locality. Most was yellow in color, or some off-shade related. In this find, relatively few were of the arsenian-rich, fiery-orange color. In the mid-1990s, reworking here found many pockets where the orange variety was found, but in very different crystal habit, to this; and the two finds are readily distinguishable. This piece exemplifies the best qualities of that earlier find, with intense luster and satured orange-red, fiery color. The brightness is hard to convey in photos, as it really relies on the reflections of light, when seen in person, from so many subtle little curves and crevasses in the crystal clusters here. Although at first glance the surface here looks "rounded," it is instead composed of hundreds of discretely crystallized crystal clusters, intergrown together in a rich carpet over rolling matrix. This specimen was in the Sandor Fuss collection in the 1990s, before disappearing for awhile (he was known for his collection of fine small cabinet and cabinet sized specimens, now sold off). It comes with a custom lucite display base. Joe Budd Photos.