Ferberite (good quality crystals) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

This piece came with a label stating it was from the "Dolushan Mine" in Guangdong Province, but I can't find a listing for any such locality. It could possibly be from the Lianhuashan W-Au deposit, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, but this is purely speculation based upon name similarity. I'm certain it's not from the famous Yaogangxian Mine where some of the most well-known Chinese Ferberites have been discovered, so the true locality for the specimen is a mystery. What's clear however is the fine quality of the crytals on this specimen. This piece is essentially a solid crystallized piece of Ferberite (no matrix) featuring stout, very well-formed, sharp, prismatic, jet black, monoclinic crystals in a three-dimensional group. I love the broad smooth faces on the crytals and the textbook "chisel"-shaped terminations. The piece is in good condition for the most part, but there are few nicks here and there. An odd, yet excellent quality Ferberite from an unknown Chinese locality. If anybody out there has an idea where this piece might be from, please drop us a line. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).