Bournonite ex. British Museum, London

Item Description

This is a huge single bournonite crystal (42 grams!), from THE CLASSIC old locality for the species. It is a beautiful and significant crystal, on its own merits, complete on front and back faces. The provenance, though, adds some interest: Scott Williams obtained the piece in 1958 from a trade at the BMNH in London, and kept it in his own personal collection. The BMNH label notes the origin was from Richard Talling, one of the most famous dealers of his time (1820-1883) and particularly the dealer noted most for these bournonites. His best pieces were all thought to have gone to the BMNH in the mid-1800s, and nothing like these giant crystals was found in England since. This is a significant, historic crystal from the heyday of British mineralogy.