Chalcocite (fine crystals)

Item Description

Over the last several years, most of the minerals we see coming out of the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) are secondary copper and lead species. With that said, the old M'Passa Mine produced crystallized sulfides (not yet altered into secondary minerals), and few people know that this locality produced some of the largest and most impressive examples of Chalcocite ever seen. A few years ago (2020-2021) a small amount of this elusive material was recovered from this locality, and they are superb examples of this copper sulfide mineral. This particular piece is a showy and fine quality thumbnail sized group of lustrous, metallic, silvery-grey colored (with a very slight bluish iridescence in areas) pseudohexagonal Chalcocite crystals, free of matrix. The largest crystal sitting at the top of the specimen measures 2.0 cm. I could make a case that this is near "competition quality" for the aesthetics and The piece is in great condition, with no major damage, and it sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay. A truly impressive and fine quality example that would make a stellar addition to any sulfide suite, a copper mineral collection or a collection of minerals from Republic of the Congo.