Detailed information
Dimensions
39 x 40 x 23
mm
Weight
36 g
Locality
Wheal Phoenix, Minions Linkinhorne, Liskeard District Cornwall, England
Condition
No recorded repairs
Dufrénite is one of the rare phosphate species for which Wheal Phoenix in Cornwall became famous to mineral collectors. Unlike the glamorous green Chalcosiderite, Dufrénite is much more reserved and far, far rarer. This miniature Dufrénite specimen originally passed through the dealer Richard Barstow (1947-1983) at his later Drakewalls address making its way eventually to Germany where it was in the fine systematic collection assembled by the brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021). Showing the classic brown Goethite-rich Quartz gossan, Dufrénite forms several dark olive-green spherules (to 4 mm in diameter) with a matt surface finish, sat within black-lined cavities. In cross-section, on the edges of the specimen, the Dufrénite spherules are seen to be paler olive-green to teal-green internally and made of radiating sprays of tightly packed acicular crystals. One small cavity is lined with bright, glassy olive-green Libethenite microcrystals. A quite rich Dufrénite for Cornwall.