Pyrite (unique form) with Sphalerite

Item Description

Here we have a unique and certainly unusual specimen from the well-known Huanzala Mine in Peru featuring a prominent cubic crystal of metallic golden Pyrite measuring 2.8 cm on edge, with distinctive and strange stepped, geometric etching lines that give it truly eye-catching appearance. I can say I don't remember seeing a Pyrite quite like this before, and someone in our office described it as resembling the Borg Cube from Stark Trek. Nearly every face shows these etching lines/indentations, that seem to run fairly deep into the center of the crystal. The Pyrite is sitting atop a matrix covered by gemmy, reddish-brown Sphalerite ("Ruby Jack"), creating a really attractive contrast. I can't see any real damage to the Pyrite, but there are some obvious bruises on the Sphalerites, so the piece is not pristine. It's certainly a peculiar and yet visually enticing piece that would make a nice addition to any sulfide suite or a collection of Peruvian minerals. Mined in the 1980s and certainly from a single pocket, as I haven't seen another like it. This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".