Pearceite (ex Stoudt Collection)

Item Description

Pearceite is a rare silver copper arsenic antimony sulfosalt, named after Dr. Richard Pearce, who was a chemist from Denver, Colorado. Some of the best crystallized examples come from Peru, Montana, the Czech Republic and Guanajuato, Mexico. Typically, the crystals are flat and platy with hexagonal/trigonal form. The pieces from Guanajuato are often formed like pseudo-rosettes, and have lots of character, especially since they have larger well-formed crystals than almost anywhere else in the world. This particular specimen is a great example of Pearceite featuring sharp, well-formed, complex flattened crystals with a deep slightly iridescent silvery-grey hue. The largest individual crystal I could measure was 2.0 cm, but they are intergrown to the point where multiple crystals comprise larger groups, so it's hard to find single crystals. It has wonderful three-dimensional character and form, and simply looks better than the photos. The bottom is contacted, but it's in great shape all around, and compared to what I've seen from this locality, it's a very worthwhile example of this sought after species. I value it at $1300. Orginally from the collection of Dave and Emily Stoudt.