Wolframite w/ Tungstite (RARE combo - old) Kay Robertson Coll.

Item Description

A VERY RARE, OLD wolframite combination from China and the Kay Robertson Collection # 4404 and acquired in the mid-1960s. The hefty large tungsten ore specimen of stout, lustrous, intergrown, metallic, black wolframaite blades hosts patches of earthy yellow tungstite, a rare hydrated W-oxide. It is EXTREMELY RARE from any of the China locales listed by MINDAT. Kay's label states this is an OLD, pre World War I specimen from the German Mine in Tsingtao, China. Tsingtao (Qingdao), in Shandong Province is today a large coastal city. The city was a German possession from 1897 to 1914. Germans undoubtedly obtained the piece during their occupation. The most likely locale for the specimen is the famous Yaogangxian Mine, far to the southwest in Hunan Province, which opened in 1914. Both species are listed here by MINDAT, although there are no tungstite photos in the Gallery. Ultra-rare, perhaps unique old Chinese combination material. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record). Heavy rich ore at 501 grams mass.