Sphalerite with Quartz, Galena and Calcite on Pyrrhotite
Help improve this record
No owner is registered for this specimen yet. If it's yours or you know more about it, you can add the owner, provenance, publications and other details.
An amazing and rather stunning specimen of Sphalerite caps a horizontal base of Pyrrhotite with additions of Quartz, Galena and Calcite just for good measure! From the famous Dal'negorsk mining district in far eastern Russia, the Sphalerite forms magnificent, multi-stepped, jet black crystals with the brightest metallic lustre imaginable. The largest of the crystals measures approximately 4.5 x 3.5 x 3 cm, built from triangular-faced prisms and trigonal stacks with overgrowths of caramel brown Calcite (or Siderite) along with similar coloured tiny Quartz crystals. To one side of the Sphalerite is a cluster of naturally etched and melted looking Galena crystals, very much with the appearance of classic Bulgarian ‘melted’ Galena. During the etching process, some parts have become minutely stepped in descending nested contours, similar to the contoured hills of paddy fields. As if this cornucopia of minerals was not enough, the specimen sits on a horizontal, 9 x 6 cm block of crystallised golden bronze Pyrrhotite, displaying stepped hexagonal crystallised faces, themselves forming contour-profiled steps and mounds. A truly superb combination of magnificently sculptured minerals with contrasting textures and lustre from Dal'negorsk in Primorsky Kray. This is one seriously good specimen!
Product details
SpeciesQuartz, Galena, Sphalerite, Calcite, Pyrrhotite
SizeSmall Cabinet
Dimensions9.1 x 6.5 x 7.7 cm
Added on12/02/2024
LocalityRussia, Primorsky Krai, Dalnegorsk
Current owner
Unknown Owner
Previous owners
| Date | Collector | Acquisition price |
|---|---|---|
| — | Crystal Classics | Not disclosed |
Learn more
Mineral guide
Comments