Sphalerite (rare locality)

Item Description

A notably hard to find, old-time specimen of Sphalerite from the lesser-known Mary Arnold locality in Christian County, Missouri. This locality is now part of the Mark Twain National Forest. This is ONLY specimen we've had to offer from the locality, which lies about 50 miles west of the more famous Sweetwater Mine. The miniature sized specimens is a classic example of "Ruby Jack" Sphalerite, showing a deep reddish-brown, almost metallic hue on the surface, with a bit of internal translucency when backlit, and the morphology is excellent, showing attractive faces on multiple sides. The piece is in great shape overall, with no major damage, though there are some areas of incomplete growth. A wonderful specimen for any fan of Sphalerites, sulfides or oddball locality specimens. It was mined circa late 1970s - early 1980s.
This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".