Cerussite (snowflake twin)

Item Description

Cerussite from this famous mine in Namibia is known for 100 styles, but the most famous of all are those crystals with the reticulated twinning that give such fanciful shapes to the specimen! This is a 2-inch-across, complete, mesmerizing cluster of such twinned cerussites, called reticulated twins for the complex and yet understandable fractal pattern. Miners called them "snowflake twins" and they were sold as that for decades. This pure white, balanced variety is among the most rare in color and style, as many had a more adamantine or beige color. So, we have a snow-white snowflake twin - and this is much more rare than you would think when you look around the market and notice most are off color, or off white, or gray, or brown. This combination of texture, shape, color, and balance makes this one of the most aesthetic examples. Almost pristine, it has only a few trivial dings, that you really have to look closely to find amidst the mesmerizing, machined-like complexity here. It is from the finds of the 1960s-1970s and it is almost pristine despite its age and the softness of this heavy mineral species. It is one of the most elegant such miniatures we have seen, and valued $7.5-10k and fine enough for the most sophisticated of Tsumeb collectors.