Cassiterite (twins) with Siderite and Quartz

Item Description

Bolivia is filled with many tin-producing localities, and the actual ORE from many of those mines is in the form of world-class Cassiterite crystals. Despite the fact that there are hundreds of localities in Bolivia where Cassiterite is found, the magnificent great tin mines at Viloco (sometimes called Araca) have produced some of the most magnificent Cassiterite specimens extant. Not only are the crystals from this locality notably large and impressive, Viloco is the ONLY mine in Bolivia to produce GEM QUALITY crystals of Cassiterite. This wonderful small cabinet specimen features superb quality, sharp, highly lustrous, jet-black, cyclic twinned crystal groups of Cassiterite measuring up to 7 mm across, associated with compressed "discs" of tan Siderite with prismatic, gemmy, colorless Quartz crystals on matrix. These classic specimen from Viloco are rarely seen for sale in today's market, and they deserve more attention and respect for what they are, since they are among the finest examples of crystallized Cassiterite in the world.