OB17A-81
Bournonite and Quartz ps. Barite (mid-1800s)
Herodsfoot Mine, Lanreath, Liskeard District, Cornwall, England, UK
Small Cabinet, 6.9 x 6.7 x 5.2 cm
Ex. Herb Obodda
SOLD
Recovered in the late 1850s-1875, old-time Herodsfoot Bournonites are a worldwide classic. This showy and excellent specimen features lustrous, gunmetal-gray Bournonite cogwheels partially coated with glassy, textbook, dipyramidal Quartz crystals (typical for Herodsfoot). The Bournonites have a really nice iridescence - a natural, ancient patina. The striking cogwheel on the end is 2.8 cm across, and the luster on the twinned faces is outstanding. Specimens of this combination and quality are rarely available. They are considered one of the premier sophisticated classics of Old English minerals. As a bonus here, the bournonite is perched on elegant, sparkly matrix of quartz, some of which is replacing bladed barite crystals for a much better degree of geometric contrast. Old, gorgeous, and rare... these are still considered the iconic bournonites, 150 years later.