Cerussite (twinned)

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Twinned Cerussites can have a beauty and cachet all their own, and this closed GEMMY sixling from Tsumeb is a very substantial cyclic twin. Sharp, lustrous, water-clear and gemmy, the Cerussites reach up to an impressive 3.2 cm in length. One crystal actually has a face with skeletal growth, and the beveled terminations add an attractive visual depth with their high luster and narrow, sharp reflections. It is heavy, volumetric, and really impactful to the eye in hand. As might be expected, the piece is contacted on the back (it formed as a cyclic twin with the back as an attachment point to matrix), but with the crystals so clear, the contacting actually adds a sculpted, flashy look to the back as if it was a piece of leaded, cut crystal. In fact, it is a natural version of just that kind of human-made crystal which is also a collectible in the glass world. This is a marvelous and aesthetic Cerussite, one of Tsumeb's signature species. It is hard to convey in photos how important, beautiful, and gemmy this is. Dr. Erika Pohl-Ströher - 29698.