Detailed information
Dimensions
60 x 90 x 38
mm
Locality
Herja Mine Chiuzbaia, Baia Mare Maramureș, Romania
Condition
No recorded repairs
Renowned for spectacular groupings and sprays of dark, steely blue-grey bladed Stibnite crystals, the Herja mine was one of the most important sources of specimen quality Stibnite throughout much of the 20th century, but was overshadowed during the early 21st century by the discovery of enormous individual crystals in China. Classic Herja mine, this small cabinet-sized display specimen presents a thick (up to 4 cm wide) bed of intergrown radiating fan-like sprays of bladed Stibnite crystals individually reaching up to 3.5 cm in length and all terminated with chisel-shaped tips. On one side the Stibnite crystals are coated in a think layer of grey-white Calcite microcrystals, but from the other direction they are clean and bright metallic. This is an older specimen, possibly dating to the 1980s or earlier, and as such there is some damage to the tips of some of the Stibnite crystals, but this is not obvious without magnification. Overall, it displays very well, showing this classic Eastern European form of Stibnite. Two older collection labels are attached to the specimen: a typed number 97; a small typed German label with the species and locality documented.