Bournonite (fine crystal) on Quartz with Pyrite

Item Description

This piece was one of the first specimens to come out of the "Bournonite Boom" at the Machacamarca Mine in 2001. Over the last 20 years, this locality has been the source of some of the finest quality Bournonite specimens in the world, including one specimen from Brian Kosnar that was pictured on the cover of the Mineralogical Record (Vol. 40, No. 3 May - June 2009). This particular specimen is from a distinctive pocket which featured high quality, rather lustrous, tabular crystals on beautiful Quartz and Pyrite matrix. The crystal on this specimen measures 2.7 cm across and is completely undamaged. The elegeant arrangement of the crystal atop the sparkling Quartz and metallic octahedral Pyrite mixture creates a very pleasing effect, along with small amount off Quartz and Pyrite atop the Bournonite crystal like a little offset crown. This piece is better than the vast majority I've had to offer from this locality in a long time, and was valued at $2,200 in the inventory. A piece like this from Machacamarca is very difficult to find, so I hold it in high regard in terms of value.