TUC10-365
Skutterudite
Bou Azzer District, Tazenakht, Ouarzazate Province, Souss-Massa-Draa Region, Morocco
Cabinet, 15.5 x 10.7 x 6.9 cm
Ex. Marc Weill
SOLD
Large, attractive skutterudite specimens from here are rarely seen. This is, for my taste, one of the best I know of and is a 3-dimensional mound of solid crystals, complete all around except for a small contact on one side (the left as shown horizontally, or the bottom if this is stood upright). It can be displayed either way to equal effect, and its really just a matter of personal choice which you prefer. The crystals are very lustrous, sharp, and show off the style this locality is famous for. Like many such large crystals from here, there is some typical surface crackling present (somehow common to the species at this locality when they get to this size), at the crystal-crystal contacts. But, this is really not so visible on display and, in context, does not detract. Formerly in the Marc Weill collection, this is a very fine cabinet sized specimen of unusual attractiveness for this too-often clunky material, rare in such good aesthetic form. It stands on its own merits, but as a bonus also is illustrated in the Mineralogical Record book on the Weill collection. Mass is over 2 kilograms.I would judge this to be a fairly significant example of the species, way beyond the normal quality.