Franklinite (classic material)

Item Description

It's amazing to think that there are nearly 500 mineral species reported from the Franklin Mining District, and this is the one that has the honor of bearing its name. Although Franklinite is well-known to East Coast collectors of the United States, it's still a fairly rare species around the world, and to this day, the best examples of this zinc iron oxide were found at Franklin. The iconic black octahedra are some of the most recognizable crystals from any US locality. This specimen features a jet-black, sharp, lustrous octahedron of Franklinite measuring 1.5 cm sitting on a larger (but crude) partial crystal of Franklinite with additional massive Franklinite and off-white colored Calcite. It should be noted that the vast majority of species from Franklin are notably small (micro), but Franklinite is one of the species that you can see with the naked eye. From the collection of Gerry Morvell, priced at $900 in the inventory.