Mimetite (var: Campylite) (old classic material) (ex Petersen Collection)

Item Description

The Dry Gill Mine in England is world-famous for producing some of the most distinctive specimens of Mimetite, specifically the phosphate-bearing variety called "Campylite". For a time, this was actually considered to be a valid species, and you can find the name appearing in old mineralogy textbooks. The distinctive rusty orange color and somewhat spherical barrel-shaped crystals are some of the most well known of all English minerals. The piece features many lustrous, rich brownish-orange semi spherical aggregates of Campylite on a layer of black Psilomelane on matrix. The largest Campylite group measures 5 mm across. A very good old-time small cabinet specimen of this well-known historic material. According to the entry on mindat.org, actual mining at the Dry Gill Mine completely stopped in 1869, but several attempts by field collectors have been made to recover specimens, particularly in the 1970s. Priced at $800 in our inventory. From the Petersen Mineral Collection of The Woodlands, Texas.