Celestine with Calcite, Fluorite, and Sphalerite - Cumberland Mine, Tennessee, USA

Celestine with Calcite, Fluorite, and Sphalerite - image 1

Celestine with Calcite, Fluorite, and Sphalerite - image 2

Celestine with Calcite, Fluorite, and Sphalerite

$1,800.00

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Unusual Elmwood specimens are so much fun, as they stand out against the crowd of calcites and typical combination pieces. From the collection of miner Martin Jensen, who helped collect these as part of a short lived corporate recovery effort in the 1990s, this is a celestite (celestine) with a golden calcite impaling the weird crystal growth of celestine, associated with minor fluorite and sphalerite. The calcite is not quite complete, with a minor contact or damage at the tip, but it is a nice accent. According to others, the strange chalky, ghostlike color of the celestine here is because it is barium-rich ('Barian celestine"), which causes the unusual effect of both color and crystal habit. No surprise in a mine with so much baryte! Martin Jensen, a well known field collector, was hired for one of these recovery efforts and kept some nice interesting things for himself in the process, forming an important collection of which we bought part of it in 2017 or so. While not the most exciting calcite, this IS one of the most exciting celestines we have seen from Elmwood and it has never been seen by others.