Ferberite (superb near "floater" twin)

Item Description

A superb Ferberite twin from the premier locality for the twinned crystals. Ferberite from Tasna 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 the classic, "butterfly" twinning of Ferberite along the a (100) face. It is a fantastic quailty, sharp, lustrous, aesthetic jet-black twinned crystal with beautiful form, but the most impressive aspect of the piece is the fact that it is crystallized virually ALL THE WAY AROUND!! The back is complete and fully crystallized, which I've only seen in a few other Ferberites from this mine, the top is intact as well, and the only true point of contact is a small nick on the bottom of the piece. This is one of the most complete Ferberite twins that I've seen or offered from Bolivia. I especially like the cool "ribbed" faces along the front of the twin, which are completely natural, and rarely seen in this material. The piece overall has an eye-cacthing form, and is a wonderful large miniature / small cabinet for any collector. Twinned 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. These twins are definitely the most highly sought after crystal habit from this locality. This piece is one of the better Ferberite twins that I have offered in a while. Mined in 2003 and valued at $1400 in the inventory.