Baryte

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The West Cumbrian Iron Mining District has produced some of the world's finest crystallized specimens of Baryte, many of which were recovered during the main period of mining in the late 19th century. Parkside mine near Frizington is one of most famous occurrences and was renowned for its large individual cream coloured bladed crystals. This great example, which reaches 9.8 cm in length, comes from Malcolm Southwood's collection (MS 2000.060) and is accompanied by two old German labels from the Freiberg mining institute's mineral dealership: Mineralien-Niederlage d. Bergakademie Freiberg. The oldest of these two labels is placed at 1880-1920 which fits with when the Parkside mine was active, and its specific provenance to this mine is written down which is really rare. The crystal itself is very fine for its age, with virtually no appreciable surface wear and a perfect termination.