Realgar on Picropharmacolite

$5,000.00

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T

The ArkenstoneFeatured

3,403 for sale·Member since 2026

Another refugee or survivor from the 1990s, depending on how you look at the decade...this is a classic of Chinese minerals that is also unique in the world for overall quality and style. These are what we call generational specimens in that they came out a generation ago (as of 2025); and that they only turn up on the market again when each generation of collections recycles to the market. This specimen shows off a vertical column of dramatic, gemmy, transparent to translucent realgar crystals, starkly standing on contrasting matrix. No damage to any of the crystals in that large cluster, which is just under 5 cm across. That matrix is not rock, but rather a thin coating of the very rare white mineral, picropharmacolite. We have not seen specimens of this quality in a long time, and few enough were recovered and passed down with care. In the early years, many people displayed their Chinese realgar specimens only to find that they were light sensitive, decaying to dullness with time. This piece, however, was carefully and safely preserved in a box until now! It is fine and will never lose color if left in a box - as this has clearly been stored since the 1990s. However, exposure to sunlight is bad and dulls these crystals. This can be a display specimen, so long as it is covered when not needed, or not exposed often to light. Otherwise, it really is best stored in a box for posterity and condition. I have not seen specimens this good turn up in a long time...a real surprise, when a collector showed them to me for purchase! Note as a bonus: the small white needlelike crystals, those are extremely rare and fine picropharmacolites; and make for such a unique background.