Cinnabar on Dolomite

Item Description

This item is part of a special benefit auction for the Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals (ricenorthwestmuseum.org). Items are either deaccessions from the museum's collection or were donated by generous supporters listed below.

Auction open April 1, 2021 through April 17, 2021.

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, April 19, for payment using PayPal or credit card. Shipping will be billed at cost, or please contact brandy@mineralauctions.com if you'd like to plan on picking up items at future shows or during a stop through Dallas.

Two, large, twinned Cinnabar crystals are perched on an ivory colored, crystalline Dolomite matrix from the well known Tongren Mine in China, on this major specimen from the early years of cinnabar exports. The two red-silver, shimmering Cinnabars are twinned about the [0001] axis and is very apparent in the larger crystal. They are set on a blanket of saddle-shaped Dolomite crystals averaging 4 mm in size that cover much of the piece. The large Cinnabar measures 3 cm in length and the smaller 2 cm and both are robust! The large crystal is cleaved in the back, however, this reveals the true crimson-red color and the adamantine luster of the mineral within and does not affect the display angle. It's interesting to note that the name Cinnabar From originates from Arabic "zinjafr" or Persian "zinjifrah" meaning dragon's blood and given the internal color on the big crystal we can see where the name originates! This is a true classic of the early days of China mineral exports, and cinnabars of this size do not turn up today.