"Schalenblende" (ex Van Tichelen Collection)

Item Description

A really cool specimen of layered "Schalenblende" which translates into "shell ore" is a mixture of layered Wurtzite and Sphalerite bands which can also contain Pyrite or Galena. This piece really looks organic to me, it's unlike anything I've seen from the Schmalgraf Mine. It almost looks like a cross section of an insect colony or a precipitation effect on sedimentary rock formations. A VERY interesting, unique ore specimen from this classic locality in Belgium that started in 1867 and was abandoned in 1932. These specimens just aren't seen on the market these days. Ex Wouter Van Tichelen Collection.