Anglesite (GEMMY "phantom" crystals) on matrix

Item Description

Anglesite is not unknown from Tsumeb, but it's quite difficult to get your hands on good specimens, as they were not nearly as common (or as fine quality) as many of the other well-known secondary ore minerals from this famous mine. This piece is a superb near full-sized cabinet display specimen that is jam packed with stout, razor-sharp, incredibly lustrous, GEM QUALITY, colorless crystals measuring up to 1.9 cm sitting on lead ore matrix. The Anglesites are outstanding in person, especially for the locality. The majority of the crystals are virtually WATER CLEAR, and some of them actually show rarely seen internal "phantoms", which is not characteristic for the species from Tsumeb. Nearly all of the crystals are pristine, though I can see a few small imperfections here and there. It's not damage free around the periphery where it detached from the pocket wall, but it's still in amazingly good shape. A lot of Anglesite crystals from Tsumeb can often be "chalky" or translucent, and you really don't see a lot of good matrix pieces. THIS specimen is exception to the rule as the quality of the crystals is not only superb, but they're on matrix! I really love the fact that the crystals have good separation, so you can discern one crystal from another, yet they form a cohesive "cluster" that makes for a splendid viewing experience. If you look closely, you can see tiny rainbow reflections inside the crystals, which is due to the incredibly high refractive index of Anglesite, which is actually higher than Zircon, Titanite or Cerussite plus it has a dispersion as high as Diamond! If you collect Tsumeb minerals, this a fine Anglesite to add to your collection for a great price. This one is priced in our inventory at $4,500.