Calaverite (rare classic material)

Item Description

While Cripple Creek, Colorado is one of the richest gold-producing districts in the entire state, collectors most often associate it with some of the finest examples of various crystallized Tellurides ever found. The ore in Cripple Creek was so rich due to the fact that the telluride minerals carried a very high percentage of gold content compared to other orebodies where the gold is randomly distributed in the rocks. Good specimens from this area are highly sought after by collectors. This excellent small cabinet specimen features beautiful, metallic, tabular, striated, monoclinic crystals of the rare telluride species, Calaverite which have a silvery-bronzy color, sitting on Quartz matrix. The largest Calaverite measures about 5 mm, but the composite group measures nearly a full centimeter. We have photographed the piece with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate the quality. These specimens are very difficult to obtain, and considering that the majority of them were mined over 100 years ago, the only source for specimens is old collections. Valued $950.
From the collection of Gary Weaver of Prescott, Arizona (1944-2019). Gary was an electrical engineer who worked for many years for Hughes Aircraft in California. After retiring to Prescott, Arizona in the early 2000s, Gary rekindled his childhood love of minerals, amassing a collection of roughly 2000 specimens focusing on localities in which he and his wife had lived or visited (Mexico, Peru and the western / southwestern United States). You can read Gary's obituary here https://www.dcourier.com/news/2019/apr/27/obituary-gary-richard-weaver/
This piece is originally from the collection of Bob Trimingham, whose label states it was acquired from the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Beer and the piece dates back to the 1960's or before.