Ferberite

Item Description

A good specimen of Ferberite from the renowned Tasna mine in southern Bolivia. The piece was mined at the beginning of 2008. Ferberite was sometimes previously referred to as "Wolframite", which was supposed to be an intermediary species between Ferberite and Hubnerite, but has since been discredited. This piece features good quailty, sharp, lustrous, jet-black bladed crystals that measure up to 4.1 cm. It has an attractive somewhat flowering form, and the majority of the crystals at the top are damage free, though it is contacted in areas. Ferberite crystals from Bolivia are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in recent years as the price of tungsten ore has driven the miners to throw nearly all the Ferberite into the crusher, causing thousands of specimens to be lost forever. Priced at $700 for size, form and luster.