Calaverite (rare telluride species)

Item Description

The Cripple Creek District in Colorado was one of the most prolific Telluride producing mining districts in the United States. Telluride species from this area are highly sought after by collectors, and it is well justified as some superb examples are known from the various mines in the area. This specimen is features a few sharp, splendent, tabular, striated, monoclinic crystals of the rare gold telluride species, Calaverite which have a silvery-bronzey hue sitting on host rock matrix. The largest Calaverite crystal measures about 3 mm across, though I can seen an interrupted Calaverite on the side that measures over 1 cm long, but it's not complete. 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.