Stibnite (old classic)

Item Description

The historic Ichinokawa antimony mine (市之川鉱山) in Japan was a major source of antimony for many years. Additionally, this old mine produced some of the finest and most recognized specimens of Stibnite from anywhere in the world. The deposit was first discovered in 1679 by Chikanobu Uemonnojo of the Sogabe family, and amazingly the mine operated for nearly 300 years until 1957. There was a time when the most desirable Stibnites in the world were only found at this mine. You can still find these prized, high-quality Stibnite crystals in museums and private collections around the world, but they are rarely offered for sale these days. This piece is a good overall specimen of this material featuring a notably thick, sharp, lustrous, silvery-grey colored prismatic crystal free of matrix. The crystal is not 100% damage free, but it's still in good shape, and the termination is complete, which is important with this material, as the crystals are often broken with no terminations. From the collection of Colin Manlove.