Kermesite (classic material) (ex Rich Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

When it comes to Kermesite specimens, this historic antimony mine in Slovakia has produced some of the most well known examples in history. The species gets its name from Persian word "kermes" (qurmizq) which means "crimson", in allusion to the fact that these crystals exhibit an intense red/crimson color under strong lighting. Even though the crystals may look metallic in reflected light, this is one of the few sulfides that actually shows color when backlit! This specimen hosts beautiful crystallized "sprays" of good quality, thin, prismatic, sharp, lustrous, metallic/gemmy "needles" on matrix. The largest individual crystal measures approximately 1.2 cm long. It is one of the better specimens of this well known material that I have offered in the auctions recently. From the collection of Richard (Rich) Kosnar (1946-2007). Rich was a well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado, and he is one of the few mineral dealers to have a mineral species named in his honor (Kosnarite).