Cinnabar (ex Francesco Bedogne Collection)

Item Description

Classic old specimen of Cinnabar on matrix with sharp, lustrous, gemmy, rich red crystals up to 6 mm. These are good sized for the locality based upon what I've seen over the years. There are rich veins of solid Cinnabar that can be seen through the host rock matrix. These Spanish Cinnabars came out decades or more ago and are not commonly available. Some date back over 100 years. This is one of the better pieces I have had to offer in the auctions in some time. From the worldwide collection of famed Italian mineral collector, field collector and author, Francesco Bedogne of Sondrio, Italy (Collection #75). Bedogne wrote dozens of articles and several books about the mineralogy of Italian Alpine localities such as Val Bregaglia, Val Masino, Val Codera, Val Spluga, Valtellina and the famous Val Malenco. He was also the founder of the Valtellinese Mineralogical Institute.