Calcite with Duftite & Hematite phantoms

Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Oshikoto Region, Namibia
Ex. Rock Currier #3248
Small Cabinet, 8.9 x 8.1 x 5.0 cm
Start Time: 01/30/2025 7:00:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 02/08/2025 6:39:00 pm (CST)
Auction Closed
Winning Bid: $3,950

Item Description

One of the most well known, unique, and desired of all Tsumeb calcite styles are these green included sharp rhombohedra: the style is completely unique to Tsumeb, and to only a few pockets in the 1960s-early 1970s. This is a mounded, three-dimensional Tsumeb Calcite specimen with internal Duftite and minor Hematite highlights that produce fantastic phantoms! The interlocking Calcite rhombs of this fascinating piece are asymmetrically zoned and all of them exhibit phantoms to some degree. Many let you look through them to a carpet of micro crystals of duftite underneath for a really subtle but complex effect, visually. The interior of the crystals are dominated by scalenohedral Calcite phantoms in which the points have been beautifully accented by a pronounced dusting of pistachio green duftite (or perhaps it could be lightly colored Mottramite within). The cityscape-like rhombohedral overgrowths are ghostly transparent so the green phantoms are easily seen. Some select edges of the Calcite crystals are highlighted by sharply delineated white rectangular zones, making for very aesthetic crystals and a naturally artistic piece! The Calcite rhombs vary in size from 1 to 2.5 cm on edge. The thin Hematite is only visible on the Calcite crystals around the periphery from an earlier generation of Calcite. A sublime specimen from Tsumeb, an absolute classic rarely seen for sale and thought to have come out in the 1960s era here. This is one of the better examples of this style I have seen over the years (starting in 1984 as a dedicated calcite collector myself, I always wanted one of these and never found one for sale I could afford at the time!). The best of this style is known as the "Miller Collection specimen" which is now locked away as the 6-figure pinnacle piece in a large private calcite collection for tens of thousands of dollars and is not all that dissimilar. This is smaller, but not far off in quality, and is one of the better examples we have seen for sale over decades. Ex. Rock Currier collection, although he had never cleaned it and we cleaned and trimmed it recently to make a balanced, beautiful specimen. A significant Tsumeb mineral from a significant collection! Rock purchased this in South Africa, according to his private catalog, in 1977 from South African dealer Clive Queit, for his personal collection.

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Bidding History

Bid Amount Bid Time
$3,950 02/08/2025 6:35:32 pm (CST)
$3,900 * 02/08/2025 6:35:25 pm (CST)
$3,900 * 02/08/2025 6:35:25 pm (CST)
$3,850 02/08/2025 6:34:41 pm (CST)
$3,800 02/08/2025 6:34:41 pm (CST)
$3,750 02/08/2025 6:33:23 pm (CST)
$3,700 02/08/2025 6:33:23 pm (CST)
$3,650 02/08/2025 6:32:22 pm (CST)
$3,600 02/08/2025 6:32:22 pm (CST)
$3,550 02/08/2025 6:32:16 pm (CST)
$3,500 02/08/2025 6:32:16 pm (CST)
$3,450 02/08/2025 6:32:08 pm (CST)
$3,400 02/08/2025 6:32:08 pm (CST)
$3,350 02/08/2025 6:31:33 pm (CST)
$3,300 02/08/2025 6:31:33 pm (CST)
$3,250 02/08/2025 6:29:49 pm (CST)
$3,200 02/08/2025 6:29:49 pm (CST)
$3,050 02/08/2025 6:29:41 pm (CST)
$3,000 02/08/2025 6:29:41 pm (CST)
$2,850 02/08/2025 6:29:32 pm (CST)
$2,800 02/08/2025 6:29:32 pm (CST)
$2,727 02/08/2025 6:29:25 pm (CST)
$2,677 02/08/2025 6:29:25 pm (CST)
$2,627 02/08/2025 6:24:54 pm (CST)
$2,577 02/08/2025 6:24:54 pm (CST)
$2,550 02/08/2025 6:00:04 pm (CST)
$2,500 02/08/2025 6:00:04 pm (CST)
$2,381 02/08/2025 5:33:28 pm (CST)
$2,331 02/08/2025 5:33:28 pm (CST)
$1,983 02/02/2025 1:16:38 pm (CST)
$1,933 02/02/2025 1:16:38 pm (CST)
$1,583 02/01/2025 11:43:52 am (CST)
$1,533 02/01/2025 11:43:52 am (CST)
$1,483 02/01/2025 11:41:01 am (CST)
$1,433 02/01/2025 11:41:01 am (CST)
$1,383 02/01/2025 11:37:01 am (CST)
$1,333 02/01/2025 11:37:01 am (CST)
$1,161 02/01/2025 11:35:49 am (CST)
$1,111 02/01/2025 11:35:49 am (CST)
$936 01/31/2025 9:37:19 pm (CST)
$911 01/31/2025 9:37:19 pm (CST)
$702 01/31/2025 4:42:25 pm (CST)
$677 01/31/2025 4:40:55 pm (CST)
$666 01/31/2025 4:40:55 pm (CST)
$509 01/31/2025 4:40:35 pm (CST)
$499 01/31/2025 4:40:35 pm (CST)
$459 01/31/2025 4:40:16 pm (CST)
$449 01/31/2025 4:40:15 pm (CST)
$344 01/31/2025 4:39:56 pm (CST)
$334 01/31/2025 4:39:55 pm (CST)
$233 01/31/2025 4:39:42 pm (CST)
$223 01/31/2025 4:39:42 pm (CST)
$122 01/31/2025 12:46:33 pm (CST)
$112 01/31/2025 12:46:33 pm (CST)
$110 01/31/2025 12:44:57 am (CST)
$100 01/31/2025 12:44:56 am (CST)
$85 01/30/2025 8:17:09 pm (CST)
$75 01/30/2025 8:17:08 pm (CST)
$10 01/30/2025 7:53:34 pm (CST)
* Proxy Bid Battle: In the event of two customers inputting matching proxy bids, the leading bid goes to the earliest of the two proxy bids. Tie winners are shown in bold.