Orpiment (excellent classic material)

Item Description

I think it's safe to say that the finest crystallized examples of Orpiment are those from the Twin Creeks Mine in Nevada. They are certainly the finest specimens mined in the modern era of mineral collecting. The best of these crystals show some of the brightest orange hues seen in the species, combined with excellent crystallization, size, luster and gemminess. For years, these specimens used to have a strange reputation for turning "brown", but the specimens mined in more recent years have never oxidized / tarnished and have not lost their color. It should be noted that these pieces still should not be exposed to sunlight, and kept out of direct light as much as possible. This particular specimen is one of my favorite full-sized cabinet display specimens of Orpiment that I've seen from this mine featuring excellent, sharp, well-formed, robust monoclinic crystals with good luster, internal gemminess and that fiery orange color. The largest individual crystal measures 1.8 cm. The entire display side of the specimen is loaded with crystals. There is a bit of roughness in a few spots, which is more than forgivable, any virtually any specimen even close to this size, has at least a few imperfections here and there. We had this piece priced at $6,500 in the inventory for reference.