Cassiterite with Quartz

A rare gem cassiterite from China - these were found in a small deposit in Yunnan, not to be confused with the much larger and darker crystals found in Sichuan. These are more rare, and are now historic collectors items among those of us who followed what came out of China, with little modern material being produced here. The central dominant crystal is 1.5 cm tall and really is totally transparent and gemmy in person (although hard to photograph, it is more obvious to the eye in person). Small orange crystals are assumed to be "limonite" perhaps has replacements after pyrite. This was a choice example long held (more than two decades) in Steve Smale's suite of Chinese miniatures. Steve bought much Chinese material at the time, as he was based in Hong Kong in the 90s and early 2000s.