Sphalerite and Galena with Calcite (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

These specimens are now classics from China as they have been around for about 20 years, and seemingly have all but disappeared from the market. This gorgeous cabinet display specimen features very sharp, highly lustrous, complex gemmy, dark red to orange-red colored crystal clusters of Sphalerite which are associated with sharp, well-formed, cuboctahedral crystals of steel-grey colored Galena measuring up to 8 mm sitting on a matrix coated by drusy Quartz crystals. The rest of the specimen is enveloped with beautiful, sharp, distinct, slightly compressed rhombic crystals of light golden-brown Calcite, creating a beautiful effect on both sides of the piece. The quality is excellent on the Sphalerites, and some of the smaller crystals are very gemmy and GLOW with color. VERY little damage and both sides are crystallized as you can see from the photos/video. Priced at $2,500 retail in the inventory. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.