Chalcanthite on Calcite on Galena

Item Description

Specimens from this obscure French locality are seldom available today though a large amount was brought to market by the Rocksmiths from a collection in the Pyrenees, in the late 1990s. Complex rhombs of Calcite are covered with blue-green Chalcanthite, all on crystalline Galena. The coating is virtually complete, and the pastel blue-green color complements the Calcite's forms incredibly well. The sizes range all the way up to 3 cm. It originated with somebody who had contacts at the mine, which is now not only defunct, but reclaimed and protected by the French government. This piece is aesthetic and showy, and certainly not common.