Detailed information
Species
Cerussite, var. reticulated
Dimensions
80 x 50 x 38
mm
Locality
Friedrichssegen Mine, Frücht Bad Ems District, Lahn valley Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Condition
No recorded repairs
It is rare to see a good reticulated Cerussite from any European location, but this very large miniature to small cabinet specimen from the famous Friedrichssegen mine at Bad Ems, Germany is an absolutely top class example. Friedrichssegen mine closed in 1913, but prior to that it furnished some of the world's great museums with remarkable Cerussite crystal aggregates, long before the discoveries had been made at Tsumeb mine. Almost the entire display face (8 x 5 cm) of this specimen is criss-crossed with a patchwork of long thin upright blades of white Cerussite, interlocking in a reticulated, or snowflake pattern. The orange-brown gossanous matrix forms a fine backdrop to the contrasting white web of Cerussite. This already superb specimen comes with an old handwritten label.