Ferberite on Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

The Ferberites from Yaogangxian are the best from any Chinese locality, hands down. The combination of top quality crystals and the fact that they are found on Quartz matrix makes them incredibly desirable on a worlwdie level, because other Ferberites from localities like Panasqueira, Portugal or the Tasna Mine in Bolivia often produced Ferberites without matrix. This piece hosts glistening, sharp, jet-black, prismatic Ferberite crystals measuring up to 3.2 cm long sitting among translucent to GEM quality, colorless / white Quartz crystals. The piece is in good shape, with only a few minor nicks, and obviously some roughness around the periphery where the piece was removed from the pocket. I've seen many Ferberites from this mine that have a dull, matte luster or an unappealing "speckled" nature on the surface of the crystals, but the Ferberites on this specimen are smooth, and shimmering with high luster. Ex Dr. Steven Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.