Pyrite on Calcite

Item Description

Although Pyrite and Calcite are not considered rare minerals, they are not often seen together from Frizington. This classic locality is best-known for its wonderful Barytes, Calcites and Aragonites, and this piece hosts many "dogtooth"-shaped Calcite crystals measuring up to about 9 mm, which are coated by sparkling metallic golden Pyrite, that show a slight iridescence on the surface. The underlying matrix has a deep reddish hue due to iron oxide content. A cool reference specimen from this historic mining area in England.
From the collection of Richard "Dick" Philip Hauck formerly of Bloomfield, New Jersey and now a resident of Franklin, New Jersey. Dick is an avid collector of minerals, books, and mining memorabilia, along with being an accomplished author in the mineral world. Arguably, his greatest claim to fame is being the co-founder of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, NJ. Dick purchased the land on which the Sterling Hill Mine resides in 1988, and the museum has been running strong since.