Name: Baryte
Brand: Crystal Classics
Price: 8000 USD
Availability: InStock

Updated 5d ago

Baryte

A dramatic, almost sculptural aggregate, of large prismatic Baryte crystals from Frizington in the West Cumbrian iron mining district. Specimens of this size are normally only seen in larger museum collections and were mostly obtained from the mines during the late 19th and early 20th century. Rather than being dominated by a single, large Baryte crystal, this specimen has a complex arrangement of intergrown crystals. The largest reaches 9.5 cm in length with another to 6.7 cm and many others to 5 cm in length. The Baryte crystals are mottled pale blue-grey to pale cream in colour with a slightly vitreous to greasy lustre. Many of the crystal show internal fractures along cleavage planes, which is common in these larger crystals. A repair is recorded as having been made to the specimen, but I have not been able to find it during inspection, so it must be good. There is also some noticeable damage to Baryte crystals around the edges of the specimen, but these do not overly detract from the main feature of the larger crystals. It should be noted that nearly all of the larger Baryte specimens from the Cumbrian iron mines show some bruising, simply due to the methods of collecting in Victorian times, and the fragility of such a dense, heavy mineral. All told, this is a spectacular, large, museum quality Baryte from a famous mining region.

$8,000.00