Detailed information
Species
Olivenite, Quartz
Dimensions
65 x 56 x 17
mm
Locality
Wheal Unity, St. Day Gwennap, Cornwall England
Condition
No recorded repairs
In the late 18th and early 19th century a small number of mines situated around what is now the village of St. Day in Cornwall produced an unrivalled suite of copper arsenate minerals including Olivenite, Liroconite and Clinoclase. One of the varieties of Olivenite discovered at Wheal Unity had the appearance of wood and was understandably given the name 'Wood Olivenite' and specimens from this mine remain the best examples of this variety known. This large miniature specimen exhibits excellent silky, radial, golden to olive green to dark forest green colour-zoned crystals infilling cavities within a thin plate of Quartz veinstone. Some terminated Olivenite crystals are present within a small cavity and a few areas of possible Cornwallite are also evident. A really superb example of the unusual habit of Olivenite and a nice section through the gossan from Wheal Unity.