Cassiterite (fine twin) with Fluorapatite and Quartz

Item Description

A wonderful old-time specimen from this historic mining area in the Erzgebirge which lies on the border of Germany (Zinnwald) and Czech Republic (Cínovec). Tin mining began in the 1400s in this area, and continued into the 20th century. This attractive large miniature / small cabinet hosts a predominant, sharp, lustrous, cyclic twinned crystal of Cassiterite measuring 1.7 cm, which is associated with dark green tabular clusters of translucent Fluorapatite, sitting on a slightly smoky colored prismatic crystal of Quartz. The Cassiterite is dark on the surface, but with strong backlighting, deep "ruby jack"-esque reddish flashes will show up. While neither Cassiterite nor Fluorapatite are rare from this area, they are not commonly seen together on the same specimen in my experience. A showy and fine quality display specimen from this historic and important mining district.
From the collection of George Elling, a prominent East Coast collector, with a label from the collection of R. W. Barstow, and an undisclosed label from another collection.