Name: Calcite on Sphalerite with Baryte
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 2850 USD
Availability: InStock

Calcite on Sphalerite with Baryte - image 1

Calcite on Sphalerite with Baryte - image 3

Updated 3d ago

Calcite on Sphalerite with Baryte

When you look at this, the eye is immediately impacted by the symmetry, size, and color of the large 13 cm (nearly 6 inch) twin, perched up on a shard of sphalerite. This perch is highly unusual, in that usually the calcites are flat on a sphalerite, it at all associated, but here the crystal stands proudly up and shoots out. In fact, the whole thing is a floater, even the sphalerite plate - though at first glance it is hard to explain how a sphalerite shard like this forms in the pocket (presumably a result of multistage events, where the calcite grows later upon matrix that already grew and fell off of the wall where it formed)! This process is common at Elmwood, although usually it is with calcites growing later upon fallen blocks of previous calcite, baryte, or dolomite matrix. Contrast of yellow on black, as we see here, is so much more rare. The calcite is complete except for very tiny edge wear and in fact the piece as a whole is a floater, complete and crystallized all around - with crystals of both sphalerite and baryte on the bottom. We have a classic look, huge size, and great color and translucency here; but the piece has a contact where another crystal was attached, although not damage, on the left wing as shown. Up close, that does detract, and hence the price is probably 25 percent what it would be otherwise. Comes with a custom lucite display base.

$2,850.00