Ludlockite (incredibly rare locality specimen)

Item Description

This is an exceptionally hard to find specimen of the notably rare lead iron arsenite species, Ludlockite, which was first discovered at the famed Tsumeb Mine. THIS piece is actually from the renowned Ojuela Mine in Mexico, and are certainly some of the best Ludlockites ever seen since the species was first discovered in the late 1960s. These specimens from Ojuela were actually mined in the 1980s (this piece came to us via Bill Panczner through a dealer), and misidentified as Karibibite (the two species are quite similar visually), but Peter Megaw reports that recent analysis at the University of Arizona has confirmed they are in fact Ludlockite. Ludlockite is one of the great treasures for rare species collectors because for a time, all of the specimens ever known were discovered within a single boulder at the Tsumeb Mine, and no more pieces of consequence were found. When the pieces from the Ojuela Mine were confirmed as Ludlockite, it suddenly created a tremendous opportunity for species collectors to get their hands on something that is not only beautiful, but highly desirable. This piece features brilliant coppery-orange colored, thin, fibrous matted crystals of Ludlockite in a group measuring 1.2 cm on matrix. If you've always wanted a piece of this species for your collection, and could never find a specimen from Tsumeb on the market, don't miss out on the chance to get this one now, as there almost certainly will not be more to come from this locality. For reference, Ludlockite is one of the few minerals to be named after two different people, i.e., mineral dealers Frederick (Rick) Ludlow Smith and Charles (Charlie) Locke Key: Ludlow + Locke = Ludlockite.