Platinum - Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

Platinum

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Crystals of platinum are not common and most of them tend to be somewhat rounded cubes, or stacks of cubes. This crystal has a special shape that caused the cube to elongate in a weird way, so that from one point of view it at first looks like an elongated pyramid, some kind of extended cube that gives it, literally, triangular tips. When placed horizontal and tilted the "right way" you can see the cubic shape clearly, but we much prefer the shocking "wrong way" to display a distorted cube, which makes it look like a metallic pyramid on display. This little "gem" shows off its form along with a subdued, natural metallic luster and a slight copper patina on the surface due to a micro-coating of auricupride. This came from the Shields Flynn collection's large elements suite and was the best platinum in the collection, obtained in the 1990s at the time they came out first. It is completely different than most others, that are merely representative; and therefore perfect for a sophisticated thumbnail collection.