Wulfenite on Calcite (classic material)

Item Description

Wulfenite is one of the most popular secondary ore minerals for collectors. The crystals from most worldwide localities are typically thin, tabular (and often brittle) examples, but the famous specimens from Los Lamentos are notably different in style/habit as they some of the thickest and most durable Wulfenites in the world. These classic specimens are certainly some of the most iconic specimens of Wulfenite from any locality for their form and color. This piece features a few gorgeous, thick, fine quality, beautiful saturated orange colored crystals measuring up to 7 mm, sitting on white flowing Calcite matrix (with a bit of iron staining in spots). Looking closely, I can't find any real damage to the main Wulfenite crystals, and it stands out as a very attractive piece of this well-known material. I love the slick vitreous lusters on the crystals, which gives them character and a beautiful reflective sheen.
This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".