Rosasite on Tennantite, on Quartz

Item Description

Tetrahedrons of sharp, well-formed Tennantite crystals form this sculptural, 3-dimensional cluster from the historic Tsumeb Mine in Namibia. Resting on a plate of Quartz, the stacked Tennantites, up to 1.9 cm on edge, are oriented such that, no matter how you rotate the piece horizontally, it presents well. Starting with a tan microcoating, the Tennantites are then adorned with a rich, preferential, very attractive coating of green Rosasite. Considered one of Tsumeb's treasures, the Rosasite ranges from rounded, mm-size tufts to a continuous blanket, and mineral combination creates an aesthetic, uncommon, and desirable small-cabinet specimen. This is an excellent example of a fairly rare ore mineral at Tsumeb, and the combination raises it to an even higher level. Elegant!