Andorite on Stannite (very rare)

Item Description

From the great find of November 2004. Andorite is lead, silver, antimony sulfosalt and was named for the Hungarian mineral collector Andor von Semsey (1833-1923), who holds a remarkable distinction for having two mineral species named after him (andorite and semseyite). We personally acquired the entire lot of ALL the good crystals that came into the U.S. which many experts considered to be such a significant find, that it completely redefined Andorite as a crystallized species. This mine at Oruro dates Spanish mining as far back as the year 1595 and was mined by Incan Indians for several centuries prior. In all the years of mining, these are undoubtedly, the worlds finest Andorites extant! These specimens were extracted from the same vein system worked by the father of Bolivian mineralogy, Federico Ahlfeld. Ahlfeld worked the San Jose mine and Itos mine (the other significant andorite locality at the same mountain in Oruro) when the mines were used predominantly as a major sources of tin to the United States during WWII. The best examples of the species have come from Bolivia. This piece features a sharp steel-grey, layered crystal group of the rare lead, silver, antimony sulfosalt Andorite sitting atop sharp, lustrous, crystals of Stannite. This association is exceptionally rare and this piece is one of the ONLY specimens with Andorite and Stannite on the same specimen from this find! It is very difficult to find any samples of this mineral on the market today, and until the find of 2004 the locality had not produced specimens in MANY years. A wonderful opportunity to own a good association specimen of these rare mineral species. The retail value on this specimen is $1000.