Calcite with Goethite (var: Sammetblende) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

A beautiful specimen from one of the most historic mining districts in all of Europe. This small cabinet sized piece features dozens of sharp, well-formed, lustrous, translucent, white / colorless modified trigonal crystals of Calcite measuring up to 6 mm in "built up" sculptural mounds sitting on host rock matrix. The back edge of the piece reveals associated semi-metallic, golden-brown colored groups of Goethite (variety Sammetblende) which is rarely seen from this area in my experience. The term "sammet" in German literally means velvet, and you can see how the Goethite on this specimen shows a velvet like texture. A great old classic piece that dates back at least 100 years. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#821). Kay was a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics. She nearly lived 100 years from April 1920 - March 2020. See the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record ( https://www.mineralogicalrecord.com/pdfs/Kay%20Robertson%20Collection.pdf ), and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017.