Tennantite Subgroup (fine classic material)

Item Description

The Tennantite specimens from the famed Tsumeb Mine are almost certainly the best examples of Tennantite in the world. Top specimens are exemplary for the species, showing superbly well-formed and sharp crystallization. Now it should be noted that Tennantite is no longer a singular species, as it has now been broken into six recognized species (Tennantite-(Cd) Tennantite-(Cu) Tennantite-(Fe) Tennantite-(Hg) Tennantite-(Ni) Tennantite-(Zn) ). We're listing this simply as "Tennantite", though if you look on mindat.org, you'll see specimens listed under the Tennantite Subgroup. This piece is a sculptural and aesthetic miniature display specimen featuring a handful of sharp, well-formed, tetrahedral, dark grey colored crystals of Tennantite measuring 1.2 cm on edge associated with small Quartz prisms. A light "dusting" of soft green Malachite (which forms as a result of oxidation on the surface of the Tennantite crystals) makes for a nice touch. There are some contacted areas, so it's not pristine, but you rarely see crystals of this sharpness in such a fine arrangement from Tsumeb, so the roughness is forgivable. From the collection of Carl Acosta.