Cassiterite (fine twins) with Muscovite

Item Description

The Pingwu Mine in China is one of the premier localities in the entire country for the fact that it has produced a handful of signature mineral species, namely Beryl (Aquamarine and Goshenite), Scheelite and Cassiterite. While none of these minerals are considered rare, the outstanding quality, size and superb crystallization seen in these minerals from this mine is like no other place on earth. They are simply some of the most unique and attractive pieces from any Chinese locality. This particular piece features superb quality, very sharp, lustrous, jet-black color, twinned crystals groups (showing repeated contact twinning on the {101} faces) of Cassiterite measuring up to 2.3 cm which are sitting atop a crystallized matrix of compressed, bladed, silvery Muscovite. It's rare to find such fine quality examples with Cassiterite like this in the modern era of mineral collecting, the only comparable specimens in terms of the style and the matrix are old classics from various localities in either Europe or Australia. The quality is top-notch all around on this piece, and I can't find any damage with the naked eye on the front/display side. A great quality association specimen from this unique locality. Valued $3,000.
Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.