Pyrite var. Bravoite (Ni-rich) w/ Chalcopyrite (Robertson Coll.)

Item Description

Bravoite was once listed as a separate species, but was determined to be a nickeloan variety of Pyrite in 1989. Well-known specimens from Rico, Colorado and Untermaubach were previously listed as Braovite. This classic Maubacher Bleiberg combination features a sharp, lustrous, bronzy, 6 mm, nickel-rich pyrite crystal attractively set in the bright golden masssive chalcopyrite matrix. The specimen comes with a label from the well-known Paris dealers - the Deyrolle family, active since 1831. Ex Kay Robertson Collection # 7860 and acquired from Cisneros's in the mid-1970s. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien-Welt" November-December 2017). Specimens from this extinct quarry are seldom on the market and this piece is probably from the well-known finds of the 1950s and 60s.