Acanthite on Nickeline

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This large miniature specimen is from Hans Engelbrecht's collection of Central and Eastern European classics. Acanthite and Nickeline are somewhat rarely seen from Medenec (known in German as Kupferberg, or Copper Mountain) in the Krušné Hory Mts, Ústí Region, Bohemia, Czech Republic. Copper mining at Medenec started in the 16th century and continued right through to 1860. It is likely that this was one of the places where the colour of Nickeline confused the miners into thinking that it contained copper, but they were deceived. The Nickeline in this specimen forms central radiating, florette-like pinkish metallic masses over which dark grey to black Acanthite has formed. This internal form can be seen in parts of the specimen where the outer edges have been split, providing a nice glimpse into the mechanism of how these mineral crystallized - or their paragenesis.