Sphalerite (Cleophane)

Gyudyurska Mine, Zlatograd, Rhodope Mountains, Smolyan Province, Bulgaria
Cabinet, 10.2 x 9.3 x 3.7 cm
Start Time: 04/11/2019 6:30:00 pm (CDT)
End Time: 04/18/2019 6:45:00 pm (CDT)
Auction Closed

Item Description

Sphalerite is one of the few transparent sulfides out there, and for many years we've seen superb quality gem crystals coming out of Bulgaria. The locals still refer to this material as "Cleophane" which is an archaic term for gem quality yellow, green or colorless Sphalerite and was once a valid species, but is now defined as a varierty of Sphalerite. This piece is loaded with dozens of incredibly sharp, HIGHLY lustrous, very well-formed complex crystal groups of Sphalerite - with individual crystal measuring up to about 7 mm - sitting on Quartz on matrix. The Sphalerites show an amazing glowing green hue when backlit, and most of them are virtually 100% WATER CLEAR. It's incredibly difficult to photograph this material, and this one looks much better in person. This color is highly desirable for Sphalerite, and is not commonly seen for the species around the world, especially in such tremendously fine crystallized examples.

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