Detailed information
Dimensions
107 x 110 x 82
mm
Locality
Uranium Mine No. 21, Háje Príbram, Central Bohemia Region Czech Republic
Condition
No recorded repairs
This relatively large cabinet specimen of Pyrite coating Calcite is an absolute treasure. It would look stunning in any cabinet and could also sit equally comfortably as a fantastic Christmas decoration of towering golden spires or a forest of glistening fir trees! It is from Uranium Mine No. 21 at H'je near Pr'bram, in the Central Bohemia Region of the Czech Republic. The Calcite crystals emerge from a matrix of massive pinkish white Calcite and form tall, narrow elongated scalenohedral prisms of translucent off-white grading to smoky mid-grey. It appears these crystals sat horizontally in a pocket because the thick coating of brassy golden Pyrite covers only one side of all the Calcites, indicating its 'way-up' orientation. I should not be making fanciful analogies, but the Pyrite-covered structure is reminiscent of Disney-style castles with ever-taller towers clustered around one another. Where occasional Calcite crystals are snapped off (only a few) the true thickness of the Pyrite can be observed, and it is certainly thicker than you would imagine! This is a magnificent specimen perfect for display, accompanied with the previous collector's card label.
