Arsenopyrite (large crystals) with Stannite (ex David Burgess Collection)

Item Description

The Yaogangxian Mine is one of the premier Chinese specimen producers in terms of quantity and quality of specimens. Some of the most iconic minerals to come out of China in the last 20+ years have been found at this mine. This locality is well-known for producing some of the largest and finest crystals of Arsenopyrite and Stannite ever found. This piece is a beautiful association specimen featuring large, sharp, lustrous, well-formed, metallic, silvery colored Arsenopyrite crystals with dark brassy-grey colored crystals of Stannite, and no matrix. The large composite Arsenopyrite crystal on the front of the piece measures 4.6 x 3.8 cm. There is a bit of roughness around the periphery, but overall the piece is in good shape. Very attractive and classic material. This particular piece dates back to the early 2000s, and pieces of this caliber are not often seen on the market these days. From the worldwide collection of David Burgess (1951-2016). David was a prolific species collector from Newington, Connecticut, and the namesake for the extremely rare cobalt arsenate species Burgessite, which he discovered.