Ferberite (twin)

Item Description

A hefty and robust example of the classic twinned Ferberites from the renowned Tasna Mine in Bolivia. Some of the finest Ferberites in the world have come from this giant bismuth mine, and the twins are the best examples of the material in the world. These Ferberites were sometimes previously referred to as "Wolframite", which was supposed to be an intermediary species between Ferberite and Hubnerite, but has since been discredited. Here is a wonderful small cabinet sized piece featuring the classic, "butterfly" twinning habit along the a (100) face of the crystals creating a fine quality, sharp, stout, aesthetic jet-black twin that is displayable from a few angles. A bit of accenting Quartz makes for a nice touch. There are some nicks, so it's not pristine, but it's larger than most you'll see from the locality. It's very hard to get fine quality, undamaged twins of Ferberite from any locality, as Tasna is no exception. Twinned Ferberite crystals from this mine have becoming increasingly difficult for me to obtain, as the miners do not take care of the crystals, so they're almost always dinged or cleaved. In addition, the price of tungsten can cause superb twinned crystals to be thrown into the crusher and destroyed for the mere value of their ore. These are definitely the most highly sought after crystal habit from this locality, and highly sought after by collectors. This piece one of the better Ferberite twins that I have had to offer in the auctions in a while, and would make a nice addition to any collection. Priced in the inventory at $1,500.