Bustamite (great classic material) (ex David Burgess Collection)

Item Description

Broken Hill is one of the most famous and prodigious mineral localities in the world as over 300 mineral species are found there, along with many of the finest representations of various species. This impressive showy matrix display specimen features several FREE-STANDING sharp, lustrous, translucent, rich orange-pink colored crystals of Bustamite measuring up to 3.1 cm on matrix. The crystals glow with color when backlit, and the fact that they are isolated and well-formed makes it a significant piece of the species. Now the largest crystal is contacted, so the piece is not damage free, but it's incredibly hard to find eye-catching matrix display pieces of Bustamite like this. Most specimens of this material are either "lumpy" and undesirable, or have so much damage that they're not considered fine quality. This one is still good despite the damage, and you can see it sits beautifully without a base or stand to prop it up. The best Bustamites ever found are those from Broken Hill, and these are true classics dating back many decades. 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. The piece comes with a label from noted Rhode Island mineral dealer, Sal Avella with an old scratched out price of $400. Valued at $1,000-$1,200.