Detailed information
Species
Bournonite, Siderite, Pyrite
Dimensions
54 x 70 x 33
mm
Weight
98 g
Locality
Herodsfoot Mine Lanreath, Liskeard District Cornwall, England
Condition
No recorded repairs
Herodsfoot mine near Liskeard in Cornwall will forever be remembered for its amazing Bournonite specimens, many of which present a 'cogwheel' form. Virtually all of these specimens were extracted whilst the mine was operational during a narrow window in time during the 1860s. This miniature specimen might only host a small (2.8 x 2.1 x 1.5 cm) aggregate of Bournonite crystals, but these are of the highest quality. Firstly, they display the classic 'cogwheel' form, but secondly they have an exceptional iridescent patina/lustre with striking blue and purple flashes. This 'island' of crystals sits upon a thin Siderite-Quartz matrix with minor Pyrite. This specimen was figured (fig. 68; pg. 457) in the Herodsfoot article written by Roy Starkey and published in The Mineralogical Record in 2012 (Vol. 43, No. 4). A remarkable Herodsfoot mine miniature. Ex Malcolm Southwood collection, no. MS 2010.024, and ex Ian Acworth collection, no. CW35.