Franckeite (Var: Potosiite), Franckeite - image 1
Franckeite (Var: Potosiite), Franckeite - image 2
Franckeite (Var: Potosiite), Franckeite - image 3

Franckeite (Var: Potosiite), Franckeite

Unknown Owner
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Potosiite and franckeite are RARE sulfosalts. This is a SUPERB and very RICH, pristine specimen of radial clusters of lathe-shaped potosiite blades to 4 mm totally covering starburst-shaped clusters of lustrous, elongated franckeite blades. This is from 2 years ago, some small finds at the San Jose Mine of Bolivia in the same part of the mine (mining out pillars) where they found potosiite some 60 years ago.

Product details

SpeciesFranckeite
SizeSmall Cabinet
Dimensions7.8 x 6.3 x 4.5 cm
Added on10/23/2024
LocalityBolivia, Potosí, San Jose Mine

Known provenance

DateCollectorAcquisition price
08/2024Unknown OwnerNot disclosed
—The ArkenstoneNot disclosed

Learn more

Mineral guide
Learn about Franckeite
, a rare micaceous lead-tin-antimony sulfosalt, forms layered rosettes and curved plates; Bolivian origin and texture make it collectible.
Franckeite
Regional guide
Franckeite from San José Mine, Bolivia
from the San José Mine is one of the classic Bolivian sulfosalt specimens: black to steel-gray, metallic, soft, heavy, and often built from curving blades and radiating rosettes rather than simple textbook crystals. The best pieces have a lively sheen that moves across the bent plates as the specimen is turned, giving an otherwise dark mineral a surprisingly sculptural presence. Collectors prize San José franckeite because it shows the species in displayable form—not merely as a massive ore constituent, but as rosettes, foliated aggregates, compact sprays, and curved, bladed crystals that express the mineral’s layered structure in the hand.
    Franckeite (Var: Potosiite), Franckeite - San Jose Mine, Potosí, Bolivia