Mn-Calcite with Tetrahedrite

Item Description

This is a big showy, fine quality, multi-species association specimen from the famed Casapalca Mine in Peru. This mine is well-known for its excellent sulfide minerals, along with staples like Calcite and Quartz, and they're all present on this piece (although the assemblage from here is a little different from Huanzala, to which it had been previously attributed, and is now corrected). The main focus is a group of pale pink (manganese-bearing) "feather"-like scalenohedra of Calcite forming a semi-"spray" measuring 3.1 cm across, associated with excellent quality, sharp, well-formed, robust, smooth, metallic, dark silvery-grey colored crystals of Tetrahedrite measuring up to 2.5 cm, along with almost "ribbon"-like formations of white Quartz, sitting on a matrix of additional sulfides (Sphalerite, Galena and Pyrite). The piece has such excellent balance, aesthetics and overall displayability, with very minimal damage. Everything comes together so well on this piece, as each species compliments the other creating a wonderful contrast between the lighter colored Calcite and Quartz against the dark metallic sulfides. A piece like this is almost impossible to find in today's market, as it was mined circa 1970s-1980s, and for the size and quality, it's a really impressive overall specimen. From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#118 AP), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection over the next two to three years through our various platforms. A NOTE ADDED after posting, courtesy of Dr. Demetrius Pohl, who should know more than us... and we have changed text above accordingly: 

I noticed on the latest mineralauctions offering that there is a Kurt Hefendehl specimen labelled as tennantite from Huanzala that is actually tetrahedrite from Casapalca. I actually collected similar ones in the mine with Eduardo Loli in 1978. They were so new and amazing at the time I was able to trade for some really good stuff for them.  The association of fans of Mn-calcite and short clear quartz crystals are characteristic of Casapalca.