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

Item Description

This is a wonderful specimen of Sartorite, a very rare lead arsenic sulfosalt, from one of the great mineral localities in the world. The species dates back to 1868 when it was first discovered at the famed Lengenbach Quarry in the Swiss Alps. It was named in honor of Professor Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen, a Mineralogy professor at the University of Gottingen in Germany. He was also the first person to describe the species. This small cabinet specimen piece features a 1.3 cm group of metallic lead grey Sartorite sitting atop grainy white Dolomite matrix from the type locality. It should be noted that 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.