Sphalerite (excellent gemmy crystals) (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

These specimens have been on the market since the early 2000s, and they are still some of the most iconic and eye-catching specimens of Sphalerite from any world locality. This small cabinet specimen hosts a predominant 3.3 cm group of intergrown, sharp, highly lustrous, gemmy, RICH red-orange color highly modified crystals of Sphalerite along with some smaller individual Sphalerites which are associated with and partially coated by gemmy, colorless trigonal Calcite crystals, sitting on sculptural matrix. When the large group of crystals is backlit, the color they exhibit is alluring, and truly doesn't look quite like Sphalerite from anywhere else. This is beautiful material, especially considering it's a transparent sulfide ! Excellent quality all around, and it's so showy! With that said, the combination of the highly lustrous, razor-sharp crystals with that enchanting color is rare for Sphalerite, especially when you consider the thousands of localities where the species is found around the world. Priced in the inventory at $1,800. 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.