Leiteite

Unknown Owner

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At 9.4 cm in length, this long, off-matrix crystal of white pearlescent sectile Leiteite is museum quality in terms of size. Leiteite, an exceptionally rare zinc arsenate, was discovered at Tsumeb mine in 1977 and has never been found occurring naturally anywhere else in the world (it has been found in a few occurrences of mining slag, but not in natural deposits). Always rare, when specimens are seen available, they are usually small crystal fragments held in small plastic storage boxes, but not this one. For sheer size, this crystal is world-class, and considering most specimens came from just a few small finds in the mine, this is a great rarity indeed. Ex Kessler Collection.