Property of Various Owners
A Sphalerite and Galena desk set—"Schalenblende"
Olkusz Mine, Bytom District
Upper Silesia, Poland
Probably fabricated in Russia by an expert lapidary, this unique suite consists of a rectangular box and covered vase formed of book-matched slabs of a very rare mineral occurrence. Known in the mineral hobby by its German name, "Schalenblende", it is a banded ore or from Poland, typically forming in stalactites. Schalenblende contains four minerals in distinct successive bands of light brown/yellow brown wurtzite, dark brown sphalerite, bright metallic galena and brassy marcasite.
length of box: 3 1/2 in, height of vase: 6in (2)
