Sphalerite (fine crystals) on Pyrite

Item Description

The famed Eagle Mine (near the now ghost town of Gilman) dates back to the 1880s, and closed permanently in 1984. While it was mined for gold and silver, a large percentage of the ore value came in the form of zinc, primarily from Sphalerite. This locality is famous among Colorado collectors for producing excellent crystallized examples of various sulfides, and this particular piece is one of the better Sphalerites we've had to offer from this defunct mine. This piece hosts many sharp, very lustrous, well-formed, eye-catching crystals of Sphalerite measuring up to about 6 mm across, sitting on golden metallic Pyrite matrix. I love how the Sphalerites are sitting above the Pyrite, not nestled down and intermixed together, so they stand out and really catch the eye. A little bit of damage is visible, but overall the piece is in very good shape, and stands as a choice example of this now seldom seen material. The piece is from the collection of Brian Kosnar.