Gypsum

Unknown Owner

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Colourless to greyish milky-white sharp bladed monoclinic Gypsum (var. Selenite) crystals form a fine upright display on this small cabinet specimen from Banská Štiavnica in Slovakia, a former copper-gold-lead-silver-zinc mine which is known to have had an on-site smelter as early as 1500. The thickly-set Selenite crystals sit at various angles across the specimen and measure up to 4 cm long. They are mainly transparent although grade to translucent in parts, and when the former, are remarkably optically clear. The three principle crystals are well terminated, but with a little slight bruising to the tip of the main upright crystal, and all contrast nicely against an orange-tinted light rusty tan Calcite matrix. This old time specimen is accompanied with two handwritten labels in copperplate script and three old collection numbers are affixed to the back, one relating to one of the old labels (2278) and another from Professor Werner Paars' collection (no. 730). A rare survivor from the famous old mining district.