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CKTSU-01 - Cerussite - AUS$ 4575 SOLD Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 8.0 x 4.9 x 4.3 cm ex. Charlie Key
This is a tremendously complex specimen with 3-dimensional cerussite crystals shooting out everywhere, all of it miraculously pristine and undamaged save one little tip. No matter how this matrix specimen is displayed, it is wonderful. It is extremely lustrous with a literally adamantine glow (I have not seen a higher lustre on cerussite before), and it is quite translucent. Unusually colored a dark smoky hue, probably caused by minute inclusions of galena, nearly all of the crystals (to 3.5 cm across) appear to be cyclic twins. For such a soft mineral species, it is nearly pristine, which again I find remarkable given the exposure here. This is a superb example of a fine Tsumeb cerussite but you can get "superb" cerussites for high prices any day. More than that, its REALLY unusual in overall aspect and geometry as a mesmerizingly complex matrix specimen, and this is a feature hard to obtain in any price range. "Smoky" cerussite of this quality is particularly rare.
CKTSU-02 - Galena with Dolomite - AUS$ 1580 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 8.3 x 3.9 x 3.4 cm ex. Charlie Key
Numerous SHARP crystals of matte-black, octahedral galena to 1.2 cm in length are nestled in a vug of massive galena. For a color contrast there are a few crystals of ivory colored dolomite to accent them. Octahedral crystals of galena from Tsumeb are particularly rare though for odd reasons ANY galena in crystallized form is extremely uncommon from this mine despite its overall production tonnage of galena ore. So, to get a really good galena, good enough to go with a display-quality Tsumeb collection, is harder than you might at first think!
CKTSU-03 - Azurite - AUS$ 1743 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 8.1 x 5.0 x 2.9 cm ex. Charlie Key
Associated with fibrous green malachite, this cluster of lustrous, deep royal-blue azurite, in crystals to 4.5 cm in length, clearly exhibits gemmy highlights that are unusual in azurite crystals of such size. The quality of the crystals overshadows the multiple areass of obvious contact which otherwise detract, and Charlie kept this obviously more for the vivid, great color, than anything! But still, aside from the edge contacts, the azurites are large and of unusually good quality on the display faces presenting the viewer as it is displayed.
CKTSU-04 - Wulfenite on Dolomite - AUS$ 7081 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 6.6 X 5.5 X 4.9 cm ex. Charlie Key
This is an important specimen with lustrous and translucent, tabular wulfenite crystals of a unique, electric orange-golden-flecked hue, to 2.5 cm across. The shockingly lustrous, translucent to transparent wulfenites are aesthetically perched on sparkling, ivory colored dolomite. Only the slightest bruising on a few crystal edges, and one small contact on the upper-right of the major crystal, is evident as a minor detraction on an otherwise world-class wulfenite specimen that is still a superb piece by any normal standard. Wulfenite of this quality, with fat translucent crystals of this size and lustre, is almost unheard of from Tsumeb. Few will ever hit the market of this calibre when you take the size of the crystals and the size of the matrix into account. The last major piece of this style (probably the same pocket) that I am aware of came out to market from the Sussman collection in 2003, has since been on a Min Record cover; and resold for over double my initial selling price of 50k at the time. The total last bit of perfection isn't quite here, but its close; and both the overall impact and the significance certainly are present.
CKTSU-05 - Malachite - AUS$ 1307 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia cabinet, 14.0 X 9.4 X 6.0 cm ex. Charlie Key
This is significant for Tsumeb! Totally covering its hefty, limonitic matrix, is a drapery of chatoyant, velvety, dark green malachite. It has grown in large botryoids reaching 4.0 cm across. The chatoyance effect is very noticeable here, with seemingly shifting dark and light spots as you twist it in the light. Few large malachite specimens of this calibre from tsumeb would be available, especially in such good condition. It is an important locality piece and a nice dose of color to add to any Tsumeb suite, though the mineral may be common from other places.
CKTSU-06 - Anglesite - AUS$ 1035 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 7.8 x 7.0 x 3.3 cm ex. Charlie Key
Gemmy, glassy, colorless, spear-like crystals to 1.0 cm in length, are surprisingly rich on this specimen. If not for the weight of the piece, you might at first guess calcite or smithsonite but not anglesite, which is so rare from Tsumeb! But they are indeed anglesite, flanked and surrounded by botryoidal spheres, to .2 cm across, of a dark gray to black, mineral, possibly one of the manganese oxides. Unusual!
CKTSU-07 - Dioptase on Malachite (unusual!) - AUS$ 2724 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 8.3 x 6.3 x 6.0 cm ex. Charlie Key
This specimen is not only unusual, it is downright odd. A complete spherical ball of lustrous, dark green malachite, almost 7.0 cm across, formed on a cerussite matrix. Although only small amounts of massive cerussite can be seen, the heft of this specimen makes it likely that the whole core is probably cerussite, inside. Later growth of lustrous and translucent, emerald green dioptase crystals, to nearly 1.0 cm across, ensued. Although this specimen doesn’t get quite the highest marks for aesthetics (the top of the malachite ball is contacted slightly) and condition (some dioptase crystals are damaged), the combination of malachite and dioptase along with the weight from cerussite put this specimen in the "unique" category and it certainly stands out visually amongst a crowd!
CKTSU-08 - Cerussite - AUS$ 2179 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia miniature, 5.3 x 2.5 x 2.2 cm ex. Charlie Key
Displaying adamantine luster and translucence, this specimen of cerussite exhibits reticulated twinning with 5 members intersecting the main crystal. Very attractive and complex miniature in super condition as you can see!
CKTSU-09 - Adamite var. Cuproadamite - AUS$ 817 SOLD Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia cabinet, 9.5 x 6.2 x 3.3 cm ex. Charlie Key
Incredibly rich, deep color marks this adamite specimen as cuprian-rich. Nestled aesthetically in a vug of limonite, are literally hundreds of discrete, equant, sharply (pseudo-)octohedral, crystals of cuproadamite. The crystals reach 3 mm across. Very nice example of this rare adamite style!
CKTSU-10 - Aragonite var. Cuprian - AUS$ 980 SOLD Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 6.3 x 4.9 x 4.2 cm ex. Charlie Key
I must say that I have never seen a copper-rich aragonite specimen from Tsumeb or anywhere else (such as Bisbee) that is quite as good as this one for my tastes. When backlit, the core of this specimen glows a light blue-green color. The individual crystals of aragonite are acicular, lustrous and translucent and nearly colorless. The crystals reach 3.5 cm in length. Although several crystal tips are damaged, the glow from the center of the specimen overcomes any deficiencies and most are OK anyhow. This specimen definitely has a WOW factor to hol dits own visually with more glamorous species; and is most unusual amidst all the fancier Tsumeb species !
CKTSU-11 - Dolomite Cast - AUS$ 327 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 7.3 x 4.4 x 3.2 cm ex. Charlie Key
To my knowledge, oddly and sometimes beautifully formed casts of dolomite, like this one, reach their zenith only at Tsumeb. Light as a feather, this shoe-like cast is sparkling white and translucent. An under-appreciated, yet beautiful member of the Tsumeb suite of minerals.
CKTSU-12 - Mimetite - AUS$ 1961 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia small cabinet, 8.6 x 6.7 x 3.8 cm ex. Charlie Key
Covering a matrix of heavy, reddish-brown cuprite are rosettes of yellow-green mimetite crystals, to 2.0 cm across. In fact the shape and color of the mimetite is reminiscent of many ground covers used in Texas gardens. The style is, for Tsumeb, quite rare actually and dates to teh oldest workings of the upper oxidation zone. While not the most gemmy kind of mimetite, the overall look of this piece is still fascinating and worth adding to any diverse Tsumeb suite CKTSU-13 - Cerussite - $450 keytsumeb01-013 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia Miniature, 4.6 x 3.9 x 2.6 cm Aesthetically perched on brown limonite is a colorless, elongated twin of cerussite, 2.6 cm long, which exhibits superb adamantine luster and super clarity. There are additional smaller crystals which have been partially or totally pseudomorphed by the limonite it seems. This major crystal is a doubly-terminated floater just sitting there, unlikely as it looks. It is pristine save for a tiny, tiny, bit of wear on the smaller end's tip. Very attractive!
CKTSU-13 - Cerussite - AUS$ 218 SOLD Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia miniature, 4.6 x 3.9 x 2.6 cm ex. Charlie Key
sharp cerussite on matrix
CKTSU-14 - Cerussite - AUS$ 381 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia miniature, 3.4 x 3.2 x 2.3 cm ex. Charlie Key
This cerussite, cyclic twin, is highlighted by a large, spearpoint crystal, measuring 3.0 cm in length. The color of the crystals is gray with good adamantine luster and some translucence. Nothing fancy, just a really neat piece for the equant, sharp geometry of that main termination.
CKTSU-15 - Cerussite - AUS$ 1906 Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia miniature, 4.3 x 2.4 x 1.2 cm ex. Charlie Key
This gemmy and glassy cerussite is colorless and remarkably, can be displayed properly on either side. This is a fine example of cyclic twinning but its so rare to get this form comobined with such incredible clarity and colorlessness. This piece is almost a floater, save only a small narrow contact on the bottom edge. Superb miniature, one of two obviously from the same pocket that are nearly identical and were kept in the collection. This is slightly the more elegant of the two in my eyes.
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