Mimetite ex. Charlie Key Coll.

Item Description

This is a highly unusual Tsumeb mimetite specimen with flaring sprays of bright pure yellow mimetite, flaring up from contrasting matrix. I like this specimen for several reasons, The color is really a pure yellow, not the usual shades of orange or brown-tinted yellow that you often see from Tsumeb mimetites in this crystal habit. The 3-dimensionality is good, as the crystals are not flat-laying but flare up in fat clusters (to 2 cm). And, the contrast is excellent, because the matrix is smothered with sparkly, sugary microcrystalline dolomite that makes both a color and a texture contrast to the mimetite atop. I need to mention there is some very minor damage to a few of the mimetite crystals, visible on close inspection. This detracts from value a little bit, but not from the display quality. Probably 1960s-1970s vintage, this is from the collection of noted dealer Charles Locke Key (Ludlockite, Keyite), known for his Tsumeb collections.