Molybdenite

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Molybdenite is a high temperature mineral often found associated with tungsten mineralization. This is exactly the case at Wolfram Camp in Queensland, Australia - "Wolfram" of course being the old name for the metallic element tungsten. This lovely miniature specimen displays the classic hexagonal stacked platy form of Molybdenite crystals and also shows off the wonderful bright metallic, but also slightly resinous lustre of that mineral. Molybdenite is also an extremely soft mineral and thinner crystals can be flexible. This can been seen on this specimen with the slightly rounded edges to some of the crystals and but also on some of the flat crystal faces where they give the impression of crumpled metal foil. This foil look, is not from human damage from handling, but a natural distortion where the crystals have been under pressure deep within the earth in the past. This is a lovely richly crystallized Molybdenite, with many stacked crystals aggregated in different directions, and many freestanding. Individually, the crystals reach about 2 cm across.