FIOR14B-48
Covellite and Pyrite
Calabona Mine, Alghero, Sassari Province, Sardinia, Italy
Cabinet, 10.2 x 7.3 x 6.0 cm
Ex. Giancarlo Fioravanti
SOLD
Covellite is considered one of the 'holy grails' by Italian collectors. This one is a matrix piece of this rare old classic! This excellent cabinet piece is defined by very sharp blades of Covellite, reaching almost 3 cm in size. These are embellished by a profusion of Pyrite crystals coating about half of the Covellite blades and others on the back side as a bonus. Some of the Covellites have the brilliant blue and purple that is so sought after. With cleaning, the piece can of course be made much brighter, but it has a nice antique patina on it now that I have chosen to leave. It displays well from several angles, with the freestanding covellite blades either atop or at bottom. On balance, the pics speak for themselves - this is a fine, interesting, and aesthetic specimen. Most others I have seen are off-matrix clusters, whereas this has a wonderful solid matrix of sparkling pyrite to set off the crystals.