An "antique" specimen from the early days of fine mineral exports out of China, these were only found in the 1990s, and not since. The location is now closed. This is a fantastically elegant example of realgar from China on its own right, with a cluster of cherry red crystals to 4.5 cm across. However, the cluster is somehow perched atop a twinned, doubly-terminated calcite crystal! So few of these of any quality ever came out, and less so were preserved intact. The care of handling required to store and transport this soft mineral is one reason; especially in those early days when many sources there simply did not handle minerals with care. Also, realgar is light sensitive. 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.
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