Pyromorphite (classic material)

Item Description

Pyromorphite is a well-known and celebrated secondary ore mineral. A case can be made that the most desirable Pyromorphites from any classic European locality are those from the Les Farges Mine in France. This mine is world-famous for the superior color and quality of its Pyromorphites, some of which features the finest green color ever seen in the species. This mine produced specimens from the 1970s into the very early 1980s, and closed forever in 1981. Most of the specimens from this mine tend to be on the smaller side, so a full-sized cabinet piece like this is certainly desirable and impressive. This gorgeous display specimen is loaded with dozens upon dozens of lustrous, well-formed, prismatic hexagonal crystals in little radial "bursts", covering the underlying grey Quartz matrix. The largest crystal measures about 6 mm. The crystals are best seen under magnification, and some of the smallest crystals are actually GEMMY on the terminations! The rich coverage of crystals, combined with the sculptural form of the piece, along with the excellent overall quality make it a fantastic example of these beloved Pyromorphites. Perhaps the best aspect of the specimen is that the crystals are clearly a GREEN hue, not brown or a variation of brown, like you'll find in a lot of pieces from this mine. A true classic and certainly very hard to find in this size and quality on the market. Valued $5,000.
From the collection of the long time, beloved, well-known French field collector, Paul Zerfass (Collection #146). Zerfass built this worldwide collection over nearly 50 years, many of which were personally collected. A biography featuring specimens from his collection (along with his face on the cover) is in the May - June 2017 issue of French mineral magazine, Le Règne Minéral. We have a .pdf copy of the article for anybody interested in reading it (though it's mostly in French). Just drop us a line and know that you'd like to have a copy.