Ferberite (superb twin)

Item Description

A superb Ferberite from perhaps the premier locality for the twinned crystals. This species 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, highly lustrous, aesthetic jet-black twinned crystal with razor sharp, smooth relfective faces. It has an attractive thick blocky form, and is a wonderful miniature 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.