Specimen #2437

Name: Barite Crystals on Siderite

Type: Mineral

Locality: Estano Orcko mine, Colavi District, Potosi Department, Bolivia

Favorite? N

Fluorescent? N

Size: 3.6 x 2.5 x 1.2 cm

Weight: 9

Acquired: 2012-05-10

Source: Arkenstone Auction

Label: N

Comment: From a find about 9 years ago in Bolivia. This find from the Colavi District, was one of the more exciting things to come out of Bolivia in recent memory. I think that their appearance, aesthetics and displayability are secondary only to the superb quality of the Barite crystals themselves. These crystals are some of the finest quality Barites I have ever seen from Bolivia and compare favorably to gem crystals from any other world locality extant. The crystals on this specimen are good quality, sharp, well-formed, lustrous, water-clear to translucent tabular blades up to 1.1 cm. The final touch to these Barites is that they are sitting atop beautiful, tiny, crystallized, sharp, lustrous, compressed rhombohedra of chocolate brown (nearly black) Siderite on matrix. This is one of the last pieces of this material that I have left so don't pass it by.

Minerals: Barite (BaSO₄) Siderite (Fe⁺⁺CO₃)

There is one picture on file

M02437-01.jpg:

Barite Crystals on Siderite, Estano Orcko mine, Colavi District, Potosi Department, Bolivia - 3.6 x 2.5 x 1.2 cm