Calcite

Item Description

A classic Naica specimen dating back to the 1970s featuring an aesthetic group of rhombic Calcite crystals, which are associated with black Sphalerite on the back, and no matrix. I love composition of the piece, as it has tremendous three-dimensional appeal. On the surface the Calcites might appear to be white, but with strong backlighting, you can see a bit of a pink hue internally. No major damage that I can see on the front, and the piece displays wonderfully as you can see from the video. These Calcites are rarely available on the market, and this older material has a distinctive appearance that just doesn't look quite like the more contemporary material. This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".