Rhodochrosite on Sphalerite (Mined: 1977)

Item Description

The famed Sweet Home Mine in Colorado is one of the most well-known localities in the world for the fact that is has produced arguably the finest Rhodochrosite crystals in the world. While the most well-known specimens are those that were mined in the 1990s era, this piece was personally collected by Dave Bergman in the summer of 1977 during the first ever mining venture at the Sweet Home with the specific intent of preserving specimens. This large miniature / small cabinet specimens and features richly colored pinkish-red, stacked rhombs of Rhodochrosite measuring up to 2.2 cm on edge, sitting on black contrasting Sphalerite matrix. The piece is in good shape as I can't find see any major damage to the Rhodos, but there are some areas of incomplete / interrupted growth, so the piece is not 100% pristine. The Rhodos are actually crystallized on both the front and back, and they GLOW with intense color when backlit. This particular association was honestly fairly common during Dave's time mining at the Sweet Home, as the vast majority of the pockets they found contained mostly sulfides. A really cool old time specimen of this classic material from the Sweet Home. Valued $3,000.
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".