Bournonite

Unknown Owner

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When these specimens first came out, they were instantly regarded as one of the best finds of this species from the Western Hemisphere. Many people associate great Bournoite specimens with the classic pieces from Herodsfoot, Cornwall, England. This piece is very comparable to the English specimens, because it has the classic "cog-wheel" form and the fact that the crystal is quite large (3.5 x 2 cm), makes all the difference. This is a great, sharp, lustrous, tabular, steel-grey crystallized group associated with octahedral Pyrite and some altered Sphalerite. It is displayable from both sides and ranks among the best matrix pieces to have come out of last summer's mining. Please note that these specimens are very difficult to obtain on a crystallized matrix. They are typically associated with either granular Quartz or are simply single crystals off matrix. I am told that this mine has not produced a crumb of Bournonite for almost six months now, and keeping in mind the ever uncertain and unstable political status in Bolivia combined with the long periods of mining inactivity, there is a good chance that there may not be any more of these specimens for a long time. 9 x 6.3 2.7 cm