Gypsum ("ram's horn") with Cinnabar

Item Description

There are over 600 species reported from the various mines around Lavrion, Greece, making it one of the most prolific mineral producing areas in the world. Mining dates back thousands of years, and Lavrion is synonymous with beautiful and colorful mineral species. This piece is a rarely seen "ram's horn" specimen of Gypsum (var: Selenite) from Lavrion featuring beautiful white colored, "curled" crystals measuring up to 2.7 cm sitting atop a matrix that features bright red glowing Cinnabar. The beautiful "ram's horn" habit of the Gypsum along with the association of Cinnabar makes this a notably rare and not to mention eye-catching display quality cabinet sized specimen from this historic and important mining district. You would be hard pressed to get your hands on another specimen like this from Lavrion, and if you have a suite of minerals from this locality, or if you're just a Gypsum fan, do not miss out on this one. This particular specimen was collected by a good friend of ours in 2017 who analyzed the Cinnabar and confirmed it with scanning electron microscopy. Valued at $750.