Galena (cuboctahedral) (ex Geary Murdock Collection)

Item Description

Galenas from the Viburnum Trend are famous for the excellent size and crystallization. With that said, it's not common to find Galenas with an octahedral habit from this area or anywhere else for that matter. Octahedral Galena forms in a higher temperature environment, and is seldom seen worldwide. This piece is a lovely miniature sized specimen featuring fairly sharp, well-formed, pewter-grey colored crystals of Galena that are predominantly octahedral in habit, and feature small cubic modifications on the corners. It has a good three-dimensional form with a tiny bit of attached Dolomite and Chalcopyrite on the base. I found a tiny golden crystal on the display side that appears as though it could be Chalcopyrite, or just a coating, or possibly something else entirely. The piece is not completely damage free, as there are a few contacts, but it still presents well, and is a nice overall example of this once common material that now has all but disappeared from the market. From the worldwide collection of noted Idaho collector Geary Murdock. Among other accomplishments, Geary was responsible for discovering some of the finest gem grade deep blue Aquamarine crystals in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho - which remain arguably the finest Aquamarines from any North American locality. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36634006/geary-jack-murdock