Sphalerite

Item Description

A rarely seen matrix specimen of Sphalerite from the lesser known Big Four Mine west of the Continental Divide in Summit County, Colorado. The piece was collected off the dumps in early 2000's by Brian Kosnar. Sharp, translucent, bright yellowish-green complex modified dodecahedral crystals meausring up to 1.0 cm on matrix. Some of the groups are contacted, but other are very attractive up close. Hard to find material, especially on matrix. Good gemmy green Sphalerite is only found in a few mines in Colorado (the Portland Mine and Camp Bird Mine in Ouray along with a handful of mines in Creede are the best examples), so when you find a piece like this, even though it's more of a reference piece, it's a worthwhile pickup for anybody interested in the material, a Colorado collector, or somebody looking for obscure specimens from lesser known locales.