Detailed information
Dimensions
32 x 58 x 28
mm
Weight
87 g
Locality
Poopó Province Oruro Department Bolivia
Condition
No recorded repairs
The rare lead antimony sulphide Zinkenite has been known since the 1820s, when it was discovered forming dark grey, metallic, thick prismatic crystals in compact radiating sprays at Graf Jost-Christian mine in Germany. Specimens of any sort of Zinkenite from that mine are almost impossible to obtain but thankfully much richer crystallized aggregates have been found in the Oruro and Potosi Departments in Bolivia. This very rich, pure, crystallized very large miniature aggregate of Zinkenite in its classic South American form of finely acicular matted crystals is from Poopó Province and was probably collected during the 1970s. Due to the very fine, delicate nature of this habit of Zinkenite crystals there is damage to some of the surface crystals, but this is a particularly large and pure specimen of this unusual lead sulphosalt species. Ex David Hardman Collection, no. 1480.