Schalenblende slab

Item Description

Striking and sculptural large polished slab of Schalenblende from this classic Polish locale: Schalenblende is "a compact, fine grained mixture of sulfides, dominated by sphalerite of a mid brown to yellow or cream colour, occurring in concentric layers with reniform surfaces which also may contain intergrown, marcasite, pyrite, galena and possible sphalerite/wurtzite." (MINDAT). The curved form of the densely banded sphalerite around the elongated sphalerite and marcasite core is very artistic. The color variation of the sphalerite is due to grain size and (minor) to the iron content. The outer rind is marcasite. The previous dealer price was $320 over a decade ago. It is regarded as a classic lapidary material. Showy and excellent material from Poland. 377 grams mass.