Gypsum (RARE California)

Item Description

Excellent, rare and rich large gypsum from the well-known extinct W-Ag-Pb-Zn-Bi-Sn Thompson Mine at Darwin. Gemmy crystals are richly and attractively clustered on the sculptural large matrix plate. The water-clear prisms have glass-clear and satin luster, stepped-growth and striated faces. The dominating, terminated upright crystal is 3.7 cm long and the imposing flat-lying doubly terminated crystal is 6.5 cm long. All of the many major prisms appear to be pristine. The older piece has a fine provenance, having been in the Dawn and Jim Minette Collection and was probably collected in the 1950s to 70s. The mine closed in 1976. See the 1984 Mineralogical Record article in Vol. 15, No. 1. A rich gypsum from the extinct mine and RARE in this quality.