Mimetite

Unknown Owner

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Mimetite seems relatively rare in fine crystals compared to other similar lead minerals like vanadinite and pyromorphite, from only a few major finds. Lustrous, sharp, glassy crystals of mimetite are even more rare. This now-classic Chinese find of mimetite came out in 2002-2004 from a small deposit, and then never again... though we had hoped for more and people have certainly gone digging. At the time, these were literally stumbled upon by artisan miners with little experience, and very few larger specimens above 5 or 6 cm survived in the collecting process, much less being brought to market. One single customer (who remains unnamed but lived on the East Coast and was known for hoarding!) swept in and hoarded/bought probably more than 80 percent of the good material from the largest lot of crystals - which arrived to Tucson show in february of 2003; and it has never been seen since. This piece looks to be from the next lot, which came out in 2003 itself, and is both unusually rich and unusually large as an overall specimen for the find. It is in the original condition as it came from the mine, washed only with water: still a little dirty and never stabilized nor even cleaned in a lab. Talk about a time capsule! The major crystal is 1.3 cm. The color is fantastic and the piece glows with sparkle and shining facets. It is really one of a very few such specimens that has come back to market in the last 20 years. NOTE: This cannot be shipped, and hand delivery is preferred. Dr. Erika Pohl-Ströher - SCH416