FTN22-59
Bismuth
Kara-Oba W deposit, Karazhal, Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan
Thumbnail, 1.7 x 1.4 x 1.3 cm
Ex. Shields and Frances Flynn
SOLD

An unusual location worked in the old Soviet era as a military mine for tungsten, has given us collectors this relatively sharp, pseudocubic crystal of bismuth. I have seen a lot of material from this mine including bismuthinite and other related species, but I had not seen native bismuth itself before. This is likely an old piece from the 1980s-1990s. Hefty (12 grams in a small and dense object!), and a full-sized thumbnail specimen that would make an oddity in any collection.