Stibnite (large crystal) altering to Stibiconite

Item Description

Here we have a very large single crystal of Stibnite from the Xikuangshan Deposit in China, which is the largest antimony deposit in the world according to the entry on mindat.org. The entry goes on to say that this area hosts four different orebodies, and only two of them have actually been exploited. Xikuangshan is best known for its world-class Stibnites, which are incredibly large and fine for the species. This piece is a fantastic, large cabinet display specimen featuring a predominant, thick, striated prism associated with a few additional Stibnites on the lower portion, and no matrix. The exterior of the piece has altered to pastel yellow Stibiconite, which for a long time was a valid species, but is now in question, though has not been discredited. The piece is in great condition, the termination is pristine, and there are only a few minor rough spots, but to find such large a euhedral, terminated crystal that measures nearly 10 inches is remarkably rare for Stibnite. A really impressive example of this now rarely seen material, which was much more prevalent on the market a couple decades ago, and it's a pseudomorph to boot! Valued $3,000.