Siderite with Sphalerite coating Chalcopyrite (ex Willard Wulff Collection)

Item Description

These classic Siderite specimens from the Eagle mine are some of the most recognizable and iconic specimens from Colorado. They are not the typical blocky rhombic habit like those seen from a lot of other ore bodies in Colorado, but rather highly compressed rhombs that can often form beautiful "rosettes". This piece hosts dozens of sharp, beige color flattened rhombohedra of Siderite on / white golden Chalcopyrite crystals which have a coating of black Sphalerite. The largest Chalcopyrite group measures 1.4 cm across. This mine is long defunct and will never produce these specimens again. They are highly prized among Colorado collectors for their unique form and obvious beauty. This specimen comes from the collection of Willard W. Wulff (1904-1998) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a prominent figure and collector of Colorado minerals. Wulff was one of the founding members of the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society in 1936. You can read Willard's bio on the Mineralogical Record website here ( http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=1528 ). Due to the age of the collection and the appearance of the specimen, it was collected circa 1950-1960.