Getchellite (RARE) on Stibnite w/ Orpiment (Madrid Coll.)

Item Description

a MAJOR, RICH EXAMPLE OF THE SPECIES! Getchellite is VERY RARE and the best are ONLY FOUND AT THIS mine, or rather they were at one time. This impressive and sculptural combination features very glassy to opaque cherry-red getchellite crystals and yellow-orange orpiment crystals attractively set in all sides of the vuggy hefty brilliant metallic stibnite matrix. The vug at the top hosts a striking cluster of gemmy, glassy getchellite crystals. Ex Raul Madrid Collection, a very knowledgeable Nevada collector. His label has a $4000 sticker on the back. This came out of the now infamous stash of a former mine geologist who colelcted them underground in 1988-1989 and sold them off in 2004. TEXT FROM SCOTT KLEINE, A NEVADA DEALER WHO HANDLED MUCH OF THE MATERIAL AT THE TIME:
These fantastic getchellite, orpiment and stibnite combo specimens come from the collection of a former Senior Mine Geologist at Getchell. Between 1988 and 1989 in the South Pit of this famous gold mine, collecting was done in a series of unique, highly-mineralized getchellite zones, right when it was best exposed in the pit wall during commercial mining. The pieces were kept in 2 large sample bags and preserved for mineralogical and petrographic analysis. After these studies, the remaining material was placed in storage and forgotten. In 2004, they were rediscovered and seen in a whole new light. Once the chunks of horribly-filthy orpiment were cleaned and trimmed down, stunning cherry-red getchellite CRYSTALS could be seen! This was a very exciting find, since the getchellite occurrence at the Getchell mine has been completely mined-out for over 15 years now. To this day there remains no hope for present or future finds of the mineral from this mine.

Getchellite is almost unheard of in showing any crystal faces. It is almost exclusively seen as cherry-red, mica-like cleavages. To see even the tiniest bit of a crystal face is extraordinary. In general, I would rate getchellite crystal faces to be more rare than even lorandite crystal faces. At Getchell, getchellite cleavage planes over 5mm are unusually large and rare, as well.

Getchellite is a very interesting and unusual mineral species. First found at the South Pit of the Getchell mine and named back in 1965, This cherry-red, micacious mineral best resembles orpiment in crystal habit. In fact, chemically, the only difference between the two species is that half of the Arsenic in the orpiment crystal structure has been replaced with Antimony, to make getchellite.