Iridescent Bornite xls (old) John Calvert Coll.

Item Description

The historic Dolcoath Mine was one the leading copper and tin mines of Cornwall. Copper mining started in the 1720s and tin mining in the 1850s. Bornite specimens are rare from this famous mine. This is an old-time, classic, knobby, sculptural solid specimen of lightly iridescent, sharp bornite crystals. The crystals (some twinned) are sharp with iridescent peacock-blue, -green and -magenta visible and reach 7 mm. The stacked crystal clusters, that look like cauliflower heads are striking. Ex John Calvert ("Lord Calvert") Collection. John Frederick, "Lord" Calvert (1825-1897) (according to Cooper, 2006) was a collector, con-man, crank, dealer, mining engineer, inventor and gold prospector. American mineral dealer Martin Ehrmann purchased his huge mineral and shell collection in 1938. Comes with John Albanese label, a prominent New Jersey dealer in the 1940s through 1960s. His label dates from 1953-68.