Nickelskutterudite (Chloanthite)

Item Description

A surprising and actually (unusually) pretty specimen of a rarity, this is a rich and relatively attractive display quality specimen with abundant Nickelskutterudite (formerly called chloanthite) from the historic Schlema-Hartenstein silver-uranium mining district in the Erzgebirge region of Germany. The ore mountain mining region Erzgebirge-Krusnohori located across both Germany and the Czech Republic is exceptional in its mineral wealth. It was exploited for over 800 years for silver, uranium, copper, cobalt, nickel and other metals. Complex brilliant silvery metallic, aggregated crystals of Nickelskutterudite adorn the top third of the piece and they cascade down the back of a tan colored silicified matrix for great contrast. The piece displays very well when positioned vertically. Although we've seen many such specimens, this one from the Hefendehl collection has a particularly good aesthetic balance. A German dealer of more knowledge than us, attests this is from a special find on the 1395-meter level of the mine (Wendel Minerals, label included).