Aragonite var. Tarnowitzite

Item Description

This is a showy and excellent small cabinet specimen of sharp, lustrous, translucent, cream-colored Tarnowizite (a variety of lead-bearing Aragonite) crystals to 1.5 cm on a plate of matrix. This is an impressive, old-time cluster from the great Tsumeb Mine. The crystals have excellent pearlescent luster, well-formed pyramidal terminations, and tapered bodies. The bodies of the crystals are cream colored and the terminations are lighter colored resulting in an almost "white cap". This excellent and aesthetic Tarnowizite cluster is in excellent condition with only a couple of crystals at the periphery missing. Overall, a very good, desirable specimen with good aesthetics. These date to the early 1900s and the first oxidation zone at Tsumeb. Some people have alternated over the years about whether this should be called a true and unique species, or just a lead rich aragonite, depending on locale. Most of us go with the species designation, as it has been for decades. In truth, Tsumeb specimens of this shape and style, and color, can reliably be understood to have enough lead to be Tarnowizite while material from other localities might indeed simply be lead rich aragonite. A fine example of the classic Tsumeb material!