Quartz (scepter) on Löllingite ("flower")

Item Description

The Huanggang Mine is famous for producing excellent crystallized mineral specimens. Some of the most notable species foudn are Löllingite, along with Ilvaite, Calcite, Fluorite, Scheelite and Quartz from this now famous remote mine. Löllingite can often be confused with Arsenopyrite, yet due to the chemistry, Lollingite actually contains no sulfur, as its chemistry is simply iron arsenide. I think it's safe to say that some of, if not THE finest examples of Löllingite have come from this locality in recent years. This very showy and sculptural display specimen is composed of intergrown, brilliant silver-metallic crystals forming an elongated "plume"-like or "flower"-shaped group measuring 4.1 cm long which play host to a 3.4 cm, nearly colorless scepter habit Quartz crystal, aesthetically flaring out of the underlain Löllingite. Additional smaller Quartz crystals along with a bit of attached Calcite can be seen on the piece as well. No damage that I can see to the display side and the piece is a stunning example of world-class crystallization for Löllingite. Hard to photograph/video, but really attractive in person. It's three-dimensionsal, eye-catching and a very rich, association specimen the likes of which I've never seen from another locality. Valued at $3,500 in the inventory for size, quality and aesthetics. Though these specimens were seen on the market more frequently a few years ago, they have all but dried up, and good ones like this are now incredibly hard to find.
Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.