very large Wulfenite on Baryte

Item Description

This significant large specimen is a rare survivor of the important 1960s-1970s finds at the Ahumada Mine in Los Lamentos, and is shocking for the size, color, and display impact presented here. It is covered by a thousand sharp and glistening crystals of butterscotch-colored wulfenite perched on the snowiest, whitest matrix you could want. And, the matrix is not the typical flat plate, but a gorgeous and undulating shape that draws the eye. The whole thing just sparkles, because the shape tilts the crystals at all different angles, and the sparkles therefore shift and move as your eyes move over it, changing the angle of light reflections coming back at you. We have seen very very few surviving large wulfenite specimens of this quality from Mexico's golden age of minerals. It is nearly pristine, with perhaps some few trivial crystals dinged or missing, amidst 1000 or more - certainly as close to pristine as a watermelon-sized specimen can get. Lastly, it is not too heavy, because the matrix plate is thin. It is sturdy, not fragile; big but not too heavy - making it the ideal large cabinet specimen. Long on exhibition at the Rice Museum, this was #1794 in the founding donation of the museum collection, by Richard and Helen Rice. Valued $10,000-plus.