PERU22-02
Manganoan Calcite on Tennantite and Sphalerite, with Pyrite
Atacocha Mine, Cerro de Pasco, Pasco Dept., Peru
Cabinet, 13.9 x 11.5 x 5.0 cm
Ex. Dr. Art Soregaroli
$900.00
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This is a mix of classic Peruvian minerals, all on one large display specimen. From the mines of Peru we have a very good, representative combination piece that sparkles in many colors. The matrix is predominantly intergrown, crystalline Tennantite, and it is draped with Sphalerites and decorative Manganoan Calcites. The Calcites themselves are adorned with hundreds of lustrous Pyrite pyritohedrons. The light pink Calcite crystals are about 2 mm in size and they number in the thousands as they cover half the specimen in ridges and mounds. Of course, the Manganoan Calcite has a rich orange-pink fluorescence as a bonus! This cabinet specimen is in excellent condition, and the balance and aesthetics are very good. Art Soregaroli literally wrote the book, PERU – Paradise of Minerals! As both a collector and as a businessman in ore mining, he had extensive travel to the region in the time these were coming out, and was considered a specialist with a particularly good Peruvian subcollection (which we purchased in the early 2010s).