Proustite (excellent old classic) (ex David Burgess and Josef Vajdak specimen)

Item Description

A very hard to find matrix specimen of the renowned Proustites from the Svornost Mine at Jachymov (St Joachimsthal). The highlight of the specimen is a sharp, lustrous, 7 mm prismatic crystal of silvery metallic Proustite that glows with a strong deep blood red color when backlit sitting on the top of the heavy ore matrix. The smaller secondary Proustites are unfortunately contacted, but the main crystal is in very good condition. You just don't see matrix Proustites from Jachymov on the market, and this species is certainly the most desirable and sought after of the famed "Ruby Silvers". A great old time piece of this beloved material. This is one of the few pieces of this material that we've had to offer, and it comes with a classic label from Czech mineral expert, Josef Vajdák / Pequa Rare Minerals, which immediately increases the value. Joe's label states that this piece is "very rare from this classic locality". You can read Joe's biography here: http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=1371 The piece came to us from the collection of David Burgess (1951-2016). David was a prolific species collector from Newington, Connecticut, and the namesake for the extremely rare cobalt arsenate species Burgessite, which he discovered.