Proustite with Imiterite and Polybasite

Item Description

Here we have a wonderful specimen of Proustite, the most well-known, valuable and sought after of the few "Ruby Silver" species. The finest crystals of this species features a beautiful rich red metallic color, which is almost singular in the mineral world. This specimen comes from the famed Imiter Mine in Morocco, one of the great silver-producing localities in the modern era of mineral collecting. The piece is filled with dozens upon dozens of small, sharp, lustrous, rich crimson-red colored crystals of Proustite measuring up to about 2 mm, which are associated with tiny thin metallic silvery "needle"-like crystals of the rare silver mercury sulfide, Imiterite (first discovered and named in honor of the Imiter Mine) along with tiny, tabular, silvery metallic pseudo-hexagonal (monoclinic) crystals of Polybasite. The label states that there is Xanthoconite on the piece, but looking closely under the microscope, I don't see it. There are some tan crystals that might be Siderite (?), but they're too pale in color to be Xanthoconite. All of the crystals are best seen under magnification, and we've photographed them with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate their quality. If you collect sulfosalts, silver-bearing minerals, "Ruby Silver" species, minerals of the Imiter Mine or you just like Proustite, don't miss out on this attractive small cabinet specimen.
Ex John Dagenais specimen #JD-406