Cassiterite (ex Willard Wulff Collection)

Item Description

Cassiterites from Huanuni are not easy to obtain. The mine at Huanuni is one of the largest tin mines in Bolivia and is a real sight to see. This locality is actually the largest Cassiterite deposit in the world, with large veins of massive Cassiterite measuring several meters thick! This mine is better known for its phosphate species, but some of the more unique and attractive Cassiterite specimens are found there. This specimen is a fine quality, sharp, lustrous, black prismatic tetragonal crystal. The habit of the crystals is a dead giveaway that it's from Huanuni, and nearly every other notable mine in Bolivia produces Cassiterites with cyclic twins and not prismatic crystals like this. The termination has a stepped / layered growth, which is also a sure sign it's from Huanuni. This piece comes from the collection of Willard W. Wulff (1904-1998) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a prominent figure and collector of Colorado minerals. Wulff was one of the founding members of the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society in 1936. You can read Willard's bio on the Mineralogical Record website here ( http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=1528 ). The specimen come with one of his classic typed labels on the bottom of "Perky" box that states it was acquired from Gary Nagin.