Leiteite (incredibly rare)

Item Description

A notably hard to find crystallized specimen of the VERY rare zinc arsenate, Leiteite from the type locality, the famous Tsumeb Mine. If you look up the entry for this species on mindat.org, you'll see that outside of the Tsumeb Mine (and one German slag locality), the other listed localities for Leiteite are all questionable, so it's validity outside of Tsumeb is certainly not confirmed. This piece features the typical flattened, semi-layered appearance with a silvery pearlescent quality that almost resembles Mica. The species was named after Luis Antonio Bravo Teixeira-Leite, who first noted the material from a single specimen found at Tsumeb, and then found sparsely in a few more pockets in the germanium levels of the final and deepest part of the mine. If you collect rarities, Tsumeb minerals or even worldwide arsenates, don't miss out on this one as it is very good sized, and nearly impossible to obtain in today's market. Valued $2,500.
From the collection of Shields Flynn.