Legrandite with Tsumcorite (type locality) - image 1

Legrandite with Tsumcorite (type locality) - image 2

Legrandite with Tsumcorite (type locality) - image 3

Legrandite with Tsumcorite (type locality)

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A killer Tsumeb piece both for its rarity and simply for its "good looks:" Legrandite with Tsumcorite! There are over a dozen orange to creamy orange crystals of Legrandite to 1.5cm on this piece with areas literally smothered in gemmy little crystals of Tsumcorite. Legrandite crystals of this size and color are almost unheard of from Tsumeb and is incredibly rare, found only in the Zinc Pocket of the early 1990s in the lowest levels of the mine. The areas between the stout, translucent Legrandite crystals are host a plethora of orange-red brown, platy Tsumcorite in sheaves. You don't need a loupe or a microscope to see the Tsumcorite as it is readily visible and abundant; however, the scope does reveal the true beauty and richness of this rare hydrated lead-zinc silicate. As the name implies, Tsumcorite is named for the locality and it is of course the type locality for the species. Attractive AND rare! It should also be noted that this piece was incorrectly identified as "Adamite" not Legrandite for over 40 years, as noted on the label, until this writing in which we confirmed its identity! Ex. Shields and Frances Flynn collection. In all fairness, adamite was a logical explanation for the looks of it, but the association was unusual enough to rouse suspicion, and we were simply lucky in that we had an analyzed specimen from the same pocket with identical shape and color already here in Dallas at the same time, to which we can compare this piece (also, listed in this update). In hindsight, it is obvious. But at first, like many Tsumeb rarities in the time they were discovered, they simply were labelled at a guess and not noticed for decades. If there is a legacy from the wisdom of Bill Pinch and Mark Feinglos about looking at Tsumeb minerals for identification, it is this: look for the associations, and be suspect of everything. Who knows what treasures are out there in collections, misidentified - but surely there can be few surprises like this.