NIGGLIITE with MASLOVITE in Platinum ore

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The Oktyabrsky mine, Talnakh Cu-Ni Deposit, Noril'sk, Taimyr Peninsula, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia is one of the leading localities for the rare platinum tin alloy, Niggliite but is also the Type Locality for Maslovite - a platinum bismuth tellurium phase. Both of these species occur within a 5 x 5 mm grain of platinum ore mounted in this 12 mm diameter resin polished block. This style of polished mount requires a specialist reflected light microscope in order to study the grains and the reflectance produced by these metallic minerals under plane polarized and cross polarized light. Often, even optical identification is a challenge and the carbon coating on the edge of this polished block shows that it has been studied chemically using a Scanning Electron Microscope. This is not our usual type of specimen, but included due to its rarity. Examples of Niggliite are rarely available and Maslovite too. This sample comes with a previous printed collection label from Austria, but it was also owned by Dr. Hans-Jurgen Wilke (1925-2014) whose record card notes that it was obtained from Cureton Mineral Co. in Tucson in 1991 for a sizable sum. Accompanying the specimen are two old black and white Scanning Electron Micrographs (photos), one of which is annotated to show the location of the Niggliite ("N") along with "F", suggesting that Froodite might also be present. The overall measurements provided indicate the size of the polished block. A really rare, and unusual specimen.