Ferberite, Arsenopyrite, Muscovite

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.

What a fantastic, hand-size Panasqueira specimen composed of the old style classic that was considered best of species for decades! It features tabular, jet-black, striated Ferberite crystals in an open cluster association with tin-white, metallic Arsenopyrite and some finely crystalline Muscovite for accent. The thick, shiny black, prismatic Ferberite crystals range from 2 to 3.5 cm in length and exhibit great form with sharp edges and wedge-like terminations. The bright Arsenopyrite crystals occur in small subparallel groups composed of less than 1 cm crystals that contrast well with the chunky Ferberites as do the mounded clusters and "books" of silvery tan Muscovite crystals that fill the space in between and accent the big Ferberites. This piece is in excellent condition with only contacting around the periphery and one small area where some Muscovite was detached from the host Ferberite crystal. The tungsten-tin mines of Panasqueira have produced some of the most impressive and attractive Ferberite specimens extant and this is a well balanced and composed combination specimen. This is one of two fine Ferberites in the museum deaccession, that were obtained some time not long after the heyday here of the late 1960s and early 1970s.