Pyrite (large crystals! ) Lemanski Coll.

Item Description

Two dramatic, very large for the locale, crystals dominate this impressive and sculptural large specimen from the Julcani Mine of Peru. The crystal on the left is 5.8 x. 5.5 x 5.3 cm and the right crystal is 5.7 x 5.7 x 5.1 cm. All of the many crystals have bright brassy/bronzy metallic lustre with crystal faces being preferentially smooth or striated, adding much interest. Large crystals for the locale, as typically pyrites are 1 cm or less. The two large pyrites are in excellent shape and the noted periphery contacting is certainly only a minimal detraction. See the Julcani District article in the 1997 Mineralogical Record Mines and Minerals of Peru issue, Vol. 28, No. 4. Formerly in the Dick Willis Collection (Willis Earth Treasures). Ex Chet Lemanski Collection and acquired in 2005. Outstanding and rare pyite with large crystals from this older locale. SUPERB quality, complete all around, and very fine. Valued $2500. NOTE FROM Prof. G. Kronung : In your auction you offer a nice Pyrite from Peru (Julcani M.). This item has no pyritohedrons, but much better the combination of a domiant octahedron (smooth faces) with smaller cubic faces (with seemingly(!) diagonal stripes). I add a picture from a 120 years old mineral book, there Fig. 8 at the end of the page shows this nice combination, in which I added the stripes with a pencil. Only these stripes remember to the pyritohedron, because these stripes are the repeated octahedral corner of the pyritohedron. These stripes are always parallel to 2 opposite cubic corners (that means never diagonal!)  and only seem in this combination diagonal, because the small rest of the cubic square face seems turned 45' as demonstrated in Fig. 8. See the fig. 8, all interested customers will understand this nice combination of Octahedron, Hexahedron(Cube) and Pyritohedron.