Detailed information
Species
Gersdorffite, Calcite
Dimensions
50 x 75 x 65
mm
Weight
342 g
Locality
Ait Ahmane, Agdz Cercle Zagora Province Draa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco
Condition
No recorded repairs
Named in 1845 after a Polish-born Austrian mine owner who discovered the species in one of his mines, Gersdorffite remains quite an unusual nickel arsenic sulphide species. From the 1960s onwards a small number of mines in Morocco produced exceptionally large and yet proportionally well-balanced grey metallic octahedral Gersdorffite crystals, often within Calcite matrix from which they were etched out. This small cabinet specimen comes from the best known of those finds, at Ait Ahmane, Agdz Cercle, and features an 'island'-like cluster of sharply formed pyramidal and octahedral Gersdorffite crystals individually to 1.2 cm across. These crystals display clustered forms, with likely twinning. This island is surrounded by white Calcite which appears not to have been dipped in acid, but removed carefully using precision tools, thus exposing the wonderful Gersdorffite crystals whilst not giving an artificially smooth appearance to the Calcite. It is from the superb systematic collection assembled by the brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021). A really superb presentation of this rare sulphosalt species.