Franckeite

This fantastic specimen was mined in the late 1970’s / early 1980’s and stands out as one of the best pieces of this material that I have offered from this prolific discovery. I think it goes without saying that the finest specimens of Franckeite are found at this mine. This is one of my favorite species from Bolivia, as it has an interesting chemistry, unique crystals, and it belongs to the only group of minerals that form naturally “round” or “cylindrical” crystals! Keep in mind that this is one of the rarest sulfosalts in the world, and good display specimens of this material are next to impossible to find.

This specimen is a rich, incredibly rare, superb quality, crystallized specimen of the triclinic lead, tin, iron, antimony sulfosalt Franckeite consisting of somewhat "sword"-shaped crystals oriented into spherical aggregates. For an added touch, there are a few prismatic Zinkenite crystals on the piece, which is rarely seen in my experience with this material. A great small cabinet specimen for somebody looking to own a rare and highly displayable mineral specimen. This specimen is over 40 years old and was part of the best find of the material. There were only a handful of good specimens, and well crystallized display pieces like this are few and far between.

Specimen # BOL711B299