Detailed information
Species
Pyromorphite, Quartz
Dimensions
52 x 57 x 36
mm
Weight
95 g
Locality
Oloví (Bleistadt), Sokolov Karlovy Vary Region Bohemia, Czech Republic
Condition
No recorded repairs
Brown is one of the rarest colours seen in Pyromorphite and although nowhere as vivid as some of the green and orange variants is often one of the most sought after colours. The ancient mining town of Oloví in the Sokolov District, Karlovy Vary Region, Bohemia, Czech Republic is a well-known source of brown and cream Pyromorphite crystals but they are rare, the best examples being in historic Central and Eastern European museums. The mining town opened in the 14th century with mining lasting five centuries, ending in the 1880s. This miniature specimen from David Hardman's collection is not only wonderfully well crystallized and with an extremely deep brown colour, but underneath the fascination continues with the matrix forming what appears to be Quartz epimorphs after a carbonate, or perhaps a cubic phase. The Pyromorphite is finely crystallized, but forms rich aggregated sprays in discrete clusters. A really lovely example of brown 'Pyro'.