Stannite on Jamesonite

Item Description

These specimens came out a few years ago, and until originally their identity wasn't known for sure. From the beginning they were speculated as being Stannite with Jamesonite, and that's what they turned out to be. Most people who are fans of Bolivian minerals are probably familiar with the classic Stannite and Zinkenite association specimens from San Jose that were found circa WWII, but these new specimens are much more rare, and are the only association of Stannite with Jamesonite, that I have seen from any locality. The specimen features several small, sharp, lustrous, metallic, "brass" colored crystals of Stannite sitting atop bright, metallic, needle-like Jamesonite crystals. The largest Stannite group measures 6 mm across. I have photographed the crystals under the microscope to better illustrate their quality. This piece is one of the better pieces of this rare and unusual combination of these species. Stannite is copper iron tin sulfide and some of the best pieces of this material come from this mine. This is a hard to find association from Bolivia! A unique specimen of these rare minerals.