Name: Cubanite on Chalcopyrite
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 9500 USD
Availability: InStock

Cubanite on Chalcopyrite

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Cubanite matrix pieces of this size and richness are simply unheard of, and not on the market. This is a thing of the past, and a superb museum sized display piece from a truly rare find of a desirable metallic species. Famous as the source of the world's finest cubanite specimens, the Henderson No. 2 Mine was a copper-gold mine open from 1960 until 1988 in Quebec, Canada. Cubanite from here is considered the world's best-of-species and most specimens are usually small. This is a cabinet-size specimen hosting at least two-dozen larger crystals and numerous smaller crystals. The larger cubanites range in size from 0.5 to 1.7 cm across and the smaller ones from 2 to 5 mm in size, and all of them have an excellent metallic luster with a patina that ranges from bright and brassy to richly iridescent. The dramatic, mostly divergent striations are very distinct, and they are the indicator of cubanite's most recognizable and desirable characteristic - its twinning. Known as 'trillings', it is the set of three adjacent, orthorhombic twins that together create a remarkable radial pattern that is its own type of 'sixling'. All of the crystals, each with their own unique 'look' to them, are set on a lustrous and iridescent chalcopyrite matrix. Not fully identified from this mine until 1974, good cubanites only trickled out while it was in production, therefore aesthetic and interesting examples such as this fine piece are rare, and this piece is probably from the 1970s-1980s era. Considered classics in their own right, they are highly sought after and few cabinet size pieces ever existed. For reference, see the 1983 Mineralogical Record article in Vol. 14, No. 3. This was in the Bob Nowakowski collection by the early 2000s and has previous history as well. Bob was known for a magnificent collection noted for rare species and large single crystals, with emphasis on Canadian and USA classics as well.