Calcite with Mottramite

Item Description

A fine, cabinet-sized specimen of Calcite with Mottramite from the great Tsumeb Mine - of unusual sharpness, size, and quality! These sharp, intergrown calcite rhombohedral crystals form a complete plate 11.8 cm across, and the Calcite has a vivid orange fluorescence. The largest rhomb is 2.3 cm on edge, and the entire surface is coated by an attractive layer of green, microcrystalline Mottramite. Save for the contacted edges and just a small amount of wear, the coating is nearly complete with just a few preferentially-exposed areas. The piece displays very nicely, and the intriguing distribution of 'spots' should not be dismissed and overlooked. On close inspection, these are, for the most part, 1-2 mm flat-lying bouquets of dendritic crystallized growth and might be another generation of mottramite or more likely (we have not analyzed it), duftite... Who would have thought?! These add so much mineral and visual interest to a piece that was already aesthetic and highly representative for this renowned locality. The piece is so subtle in person, you can look at it for a long time and continually notice detail. It is very different in a subtle way from other "mott calcites" we have seen, more special. Also, big!