Wittichenite

Unknown Owner

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These shocking crystals of a very rare copper bismuth sulfide came out of a single discovery in Australia sometime in the late 2000s, and were brought to market by Bob Noble around 2012 for a few years. These are simply the world's best by order of magnitude, and are now gone and in collections. Most were of thumbnail size, and single crystals. This, however, is a very rare cluster of crystals, and was sold to and kept by the late Rock Currier for his world class thumbnail collection (thousands of pieces over 60+ years). Acquired from Bob Noble, the author of the article on the discovery. It is a serious thumbnail for any species suite, with a refined look and machined-sharp coglike crystals. I see crystal faces to 1.5 cm, but the whole thing may be one single, large, composite crystal as well. For more information see: Noble, Robert (2013) Wittichenite from the Cattle Grid Pit, Mount Gunson mine, South Australia. The Mineralogical Record, 44 (2) 133-143. Currier label included.