Plumbogummite (fine color and quality)

Item Description

Plumbogummite is an uncommon lead aluminum phosphate species, that historically was not typically considered a collectible display species, as most of the good crystals are micros. Once we started to see specimen from the Yangshuo Mine hit the market, Plumbogummite was essentially redefined for specimen collectors. These wonderful pieces are remarkable for their superb color, size and quality, and are soon-to-be classics. I honestly feel like they do not get enough credit for clearly being the finest examples of the species ever found. This small cabinet sized specimen is a wonderful piece of this superb quality material featuring dozens of translucent spherical / botryoidal Plumbogummite "balls" measuring up to 4 mm covering all sides of the underlying white Quartz matrix. There is a tiny bit of light greenish-yellow Pyromorphite on the base of the specimen as well for a nice touch. If you backlight the piece. you can see the vivid blue color come through. Pieces with color like this are becoming very hard to find on the market now, as nothing has come out of this locality for a few years.
From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired from mining, but was formerly the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s, and the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".​