Detailed information
Species
Pyromorphite
Dimensions
44 x 58 x 33
mm
Weight
92 g
Locality
Bunker Hill Mine, Kellogg Coeur d'Alene District Shoshone Co., Idaho, USA
Condition
No recorded repairs
Classic Bunker Hill mine Pyromorphite that is so intensely orange and with such barrel-shaped crystals that it could almost be confused with the equally famous 'Campylite' Mimetite crystals from Dry Gill mine in the Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England. This though is not the case as even the very best 'Campylites' struggle to attain this level of 'wet' lustre and insanely orange hue which is the preserve of only the finest Bunker Hill specimens. The mineral deposit was discovered in 1885 by Noah S. Kellogg & his faithful donkey, with mining beginning the following year and the resulting town bearing his name. Remarkably, high quality Pyromorphite was not spotted until the early 1980s and the rest as they say, "is history". Bunker Hill mine, almost overnight, became one of the world's most iconic sources of specimen grade Pyromorphite. This stunning miniature specimen heralds from the superb systematic collection assembled by brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021) in Germany. It features extremely glossy orange, rounded, barrel-shaped crystals, exceptionally reaching over 1 cm in diameter.
