Pyromorphite (great old classic from 1847!) (ex Herb Obodda Private Collection)

Item Description

A fantastic, highly displayable, fine quality, beautiful old classic Pyromorphite from Wheal Alfred in Cornwall! The best Pyromorphites from this locality stand up with the top examples of the species from Germany, France, Idaho or even China. The piece comes from the private collection of Herb Obodda (not his dealer stock) and is accompanied by a gorgeous old handwritten label dated all the way back to May of 1847 which refers to the species as a "plumboarsenio phosphate". Fine, lustrous, beautiful apple green to golden colored clusters and hexagonal prisms of Pyromorphite are arranged into a wonderful three-dimensional group aesthetically sitting on oxidized Quartz matrix. The piece displays wonderfully as you can see from the photos, and the crystals look just as good up close as they do from standard viewing distance. The piece does have a bruise on one side (best seen in the final photo), but looking at this area with a loupe shows that the damage is not "fresh" and it honestly looks partially recrystallized! The rest of the crystals, with the exception of a few tiny dings are pristine and have a gorgeous vitreous luster. To find a free-standing group of fine quality Pyromorphite on matrix like this from Cornwall is virtually impossible these days, and to have the pedigree of the wonderful old label makes it all the more desirable and valuable. This piece is priced at $5,000 in our inventory.