Cassiterite (new find)

Item Description

Recently there was a very small discovery of Cassiterite crystals at Shengus that were similar to pieces that came out 20 years ago, and really haven't been seen since. Most of these specimens are singles or clusters and formed in near "floater" specimens with attractive, sharp, lustrous striated crystals that resemble pagodas or flying saucers or boats. They have a very high "wet" luster with beautiful overall crystal form. The largest crystal on this piece meausres 1.4 cm. They really don't look like Cassiterites that I've seen from any locality, but they have the look of classic pegmatitic Cassiterites. They sort of resemble the pegmatite Cassiterites from Linopolis, Brazil, but they're still distinctly different. This piece is mostly undamaged on the front with a few superficial nicks, but it's not complete on the back where it was removed from the pocket wall. Great crystal quality for the species. It has an attractive "stacked" or layered growth with that "wet" luster I mentioned earlier and pure jet black opacity. It almost resembles a piece of glistening black obsidian my mind. A great thumbnail specimen of this elusive material. If you collect thumbnails, black minerals or minerals of Pakistan, this is cool piece to add to your collection.