Sartorite (very rare classic material with a fantastic old label!)

Item Description

Sartorite is a very rare lead arsenic sulfosalt, which was originally discovered in 1868 at the famed Lengenbach Quarry in the Swiss Alps. The species was named in honor of Professor Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen, who taught Mineralogy at the University of Gottingen in Germany, and was the first to describe the species. This piece features a 1.3 cm group of metallic lead grey Sartorite on grainy white Dolomite matrix from the type locality. The central portion of the Sartorite group is not really crystallized, per se, crystalline at best, but the edges feature attractive little crystals and crystal faces with the classic striations often seen on Sartorite. Additionally there are a few small patches of bright red Realgar, along with some micro crystallized metallic golden Pyrite, and a bit of golden-brown Sphalerite for a nice touch. Along with the rarity and the fact that it comes from one of the most prolific localities for mineral species in the world, the piece is accompanied by a fantastic old hand-written label (in German), from an unknown collection, so we have an antique that probably dates back to the late 19th Century or early 20th Century. Don't miss out!! You may never have the chance to pick up a Sartorite like this again. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974.