Plumbogummite ps. Pyromorphite

Item Description

Plumbogummite is a very rare, and nicely beautiful, mineral species known from only a few old discoveries in England, and as smudges from a few other locales. It was not on any collector's list of beauties, generally, until this one find in China around 2010 started trickling out. This was a piece we purchased in China at the time, and remains one of our very favorites for the stark color contrast! This beautiful specimen is good on both sides and features some of the sharpest pyromorphite crystals we have seen from the find, showing a partial replacement to plumbogummite. Plumbogummite replacement after Pyromorphite is incredibly rare from any location and these are the world's best examples by 1000 times or more, compared to some smudges from old English locales. However, few specimens from this lot show such color and texture contrast of blue and green together - as this one does. The bonus is the aesthetic splay of the crystals as opposed to densely packed clusters which are more typical. Most specimens are much further replaced, or show pyro only at the base. This mix makes for a unique, attractive specimen. It is displayable equally from either side! This is one of my favorites of the lot I carefully picked in China nearly a decade ago now from among hundreds of pieces. I chose this particular one for its aesthetics in the size range. We priced and valued it highly, as it also cost a lot in China at the time. It remains, amidst many others, fairly unique for the color balance, and quality in this size range. Valued $5000-plus.