Wulfenite with Fluorite and Willemite

Item Description

The Red Cloud mine is famous for producing some of the best Wulfenite specimens in the world and while most look pretty much the same (in degrees), this is a highly unusual specimen from old mining ventures. This cluster of crystals has just about everything they are known for: great, glassy luster, beautiful red-orange color, zones of gemminess, and sharp, beveled edges. It is simply huge and thick and meaty, for lack of a better word. The crystal is unusually fat and thick (5mm) with gem zones that could cut small stones! It is nearly pristine...very nearly, with only one small 2 mm ding on the rightmost wing tip, and a small divot on the back edge of a left side (but these are only seen at very close up, and with effort. For the size, it is as near pristine as you could get, and is not repaired as you might expect. We believe that Bob selfcollected this in one of his trips underground in the old workings with friends, in the 1960s (we know of a few others of similar style from that era). The Wulfenites from here are so famous (justifiably so) that is is easy to develop 'Wulfie tunnel vision', and not even realize that the Red Cloud is also a source of prolific and beautiful fluorescent minerals. In this case, Fluorite with an intense blue fluorescence and Willemite with a gentle, blue-green fluorescence (visible here). Even before we discovered these accessory minerals, we all loved this piece for its beauty and strong presentation. From the extensive collection of Bob Reynolds, who cherished both minerals and fossils as he collected. Bob is a prolific author and has had several curating positions in museums. This is a SIGNIFICANT DISPLAY SMALL CABINET SPECIMEN and is really very differently dramatic from all others of the large quantity mined in the 1997 and 2003 remining projects here. We valued this $7500-10,000 in the collection purchase.