Acanthite (ex Rukin Jelks Collection)

Item Description

A classic specimen of the world famous Acanthites from Fresnillo. Somewhat rounded or "melted" looking, metallic, silvery colored modified crystals of Acanthite measuring up to a few mm are associated with minor Calcite. The piece has a beautiful arborescent form and displays well as you can see from the photos. A cool old piece from this historic silver producing region. PLEASE NOTE: There are some people that label these specimens (and Acanthite in general) as being pseudomorphs after Argentite, but they are technically paramorphs, as Acanthite will actually transform into Argentite in an environment where the temperature reaches above 177 degrees Celsius, but they are not pseudomorphs. The specimen comes from the collection of the well-known mineral collector and rancher Rukin Jelks (1927-2014). You can read his bio at the following link: https://mineralogicalrecord.com/labels.asp?colid=1767 The piece is also accompanied by a label from Peter Megaw Minerals.