Leadhillite

Unknown Owner

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Carlton M. Davis was a well-known American collector who attended Yale and lived in Ohio; a collector whom many will fondly remember. From his extensive and excellent collection we have a rather spectacular Tsumeb Leadhillite, one of those Tsumeb species which raises an expectant eyebrow and quickens the heart (for me anyway!). Leadhillite, a lead sulphate carbonate hydroxide, is very rare at Tsumeb, but when found can occur as thick, rich platy masses and as world-class crystals. This specimen falls into the former category, as a thick and chunky laminated block all of whose faces are cleaved, rather than euhedral, one presumes. Due to the high atomic number of lead, the reflectance of Leadhillite is high, so producing a brilliant lustre. The overall specimen is opaque, yet the surface layers are translucent light grey which merge to an overall mix of metallic light-grey and black. Accompanied by one of Carl Davis’s superbly written labels (see Mineralogical Record Label Archive), this will make an fabulous addition to any Tsumeb collection!