Native Bismuth Nugget (large specimen) (ex Brian Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

Native Bismuth is not terribly common in nature, and is typically found in either micro or massive examples. The Vilaque River in Bolivia is the source of some of the largest pieces of Native Bismuth in the world, and this particular piece is unquestionably one of the largest nuggets we've ever had to offer. The piece weighs a hefty 500 grams, larger than the vast majority of Bismuth nuggets you'll see from any Bolivian locality. The surface has a beautiful pinkish iridescence, a result of oxidation, but one of the good indicators that this is truly Bismuth. The fact that the nugget is larger than most means that it didn't tumble in the river very much, so it still has a bit of rough texture on the surface, and it's not completely smooth. These nuggets actually are found in gold placers and weather out of the deposit from glacial erosion. The underside of the specimen features some small yellow patches of what is likely Bismutite, but it hasn't been analyzed for confirmation. If you collect native elements, or you're simply a fan of large impressive examples of any mineral species, this is a fantastic piece to add to your collection. Ex Brian Kosnar Collection.