Detailed information
Species
Proustite, Galena, Sphalerite
Dimensions
50 x 44 x 28
mm
Locality
Příbram District Central Bohemian Region Czech Republic
Condition
No recorded repairs
This part-rectangular block of dense ore minerals has a real feel of age to it and is from the ancient Příbram mining district in the Central Bohemian Region of Czechia. Silver was the first metal sought in this region, back in Celtic times, followed later by lead and zinc and then, during the 20th century, uranium. A 1.8 x 1 cm area on top of this specimen is covered with terminated rounded Proustite crystals showing their associated ruby-red colour on fractured surfaces but, in the main, are oxidized to a metallic silver-black on the main crystal faces. The matrix appears to be a complex mix of Galena, Sphalerite and Proustite, with the main Proustite crystals sat upon a 5 mm thick layer of brown-beige resinous Sphalerite upon intergrown Galena-Sphalerite-Proustite. A rich and interesting specimen of this rare silver sulphosalt from Příbram. Ex Hans Engelbrecht Collection.