Hauerite (ex Patricia A. Barker Collection)

Item Description

The Destricella Mine on the island of Sicily is one of the most well-known localities for Hauerite in the world. These specimens are old classics dating back to the 1800s and highly sought after by species collectors and sulfide collectors alike. This particular example is not only a fine quality crystal of these beloved Hauerites, but it's notably sharp and large for the material, as one rarely sees crystals over 2 cm. The biggest and best old Hauerites from this locality are typically seen in old museum collections, and I think this specimen ranks among the best we've had to offer from the Destricella Mine. The piece is a large, single octahedral crystal with small cubic modifications and that classic, dark reddish-brown color on the sufrace. No damage to be seen, but there are a couple small areas of interrupted growth on the back edge. As I mentioned, this piece is notably SHARP for its size, as these Hauerites can become rounded and distorted when they are anywhere around 2 cm or larger. From the collection of Patricia A. Barker, whose hand-written label accompanies the piece.