These old mimetites were found ONLY ONCE in 1969 at a small and otherwise worthless prospect in Mexico, and brought to Tucson by Benny Fenn for sale by the pound. Then there were none...today, they are nearly impossible to obtain in good quality and large size. This turned up in the private collection of a retired mineral dealer who bought at the time they came out and put away. The piece is fully 4 inches across, and is a curving pocket in shape with the bottom rolling up and so it is more 3-D in person. The color is more towards the pure yellow than orange-yellow hues, which is a bit more uncommon amongst the material. It has "the sparkle" of a secondary minute coating of mimetite that makes this look sugary on the surface, adds a notable premium to price and value, and is the mark of the top percentile of specimens recovered from here. I have not had such a ncie example since purchasing the Miguel Romero collection a few years ago, and even in his large and noted collection there were only 2 such pieces.

This location is known for malachite crystals, to be sure, generally as replacements after original azurite growth. But seldom do we get such stereotypically SHARP crystals, where the faithful preservation of the azurite shape is not marred by mottling, asymmetry, or etched-looking surfaces. This is a fine, sharp cluster, complete all around, showing a complexity and aesthetic we seldom get from Tsumeb for malachites. It is a small miniature size, and is very elegant. ex Jim White collection