Detailed information
Species
Tetrahedrite, Hubnerite
Dimensions
40 x 62 x 40
mm
Locality
Mundo Nuevo, Huamachuco Sanchez Carrion Province La Libertad Department, Peru
Condition
No recorded repairs
A super-bright lustrous specimen of complex intergrown Tetrahedrite crystals measuring to over 2 cm with an almost black metallic colour and extremely glossy surface appearance. The crystals are superb, forming steep-sided tetragonal crystals appearing as an intergrown array of triangles with sharply defined edges. At one end, a single lustrous bladed crystal of Hubnerite - a manganese tungsten oxide - rises up and measures 2.3 x 1.4 x 0.4 cm, together with colourless-white Quartz crystals of 5 to 7 mm in length. Here and there are discreet complex crystals of Sphalerite. There is some minor damage in places, but the overall quality of crystal form and exceptional lustre make this a superb specimen from the remote Mundo Nuevo area in Sanchez Carrion Province, Peru.
It should be noted that Tetrahedrite is now no-longer an individual species but a subgroup containing several chemically slightly different species. The crystals from Mundo Nuevo have not been tested and so should be assigned the title Tetrahedrite Subgroup until such time that their precise identification is confirmed. This is nevertheless, a magnificent example of the iconic tetrahedral form of their crystals.