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Lot 245
Large Sphalerite
7 December 2016, 10:00 PST
Los AngelesUS$1,500 - US$2,000
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Large Sphalerite
Picos de Europa, Santander, Spain
From a very small mine, now closed for at least twenty years, comes this superb and rare faceted sphalerite. Sphalerite, a zinc iron sulfide, is usually found in black and very rarely in the rich orange color seen here—and it is rarely seen cut into a gemstone. The luster of sphalerite is its strongest attribute, i.e. it is adamantine, with a high refractive index and brilliance greater than diamonds. Vivid yellow with orange flashes abound in this beautiful oval-cut sphalerite, a large one for the species, which originates from the classic source in Spain. Weighing approximately 53.40 carats and measuring 24.79 x 20.40 x 14.59mm
From a very small mine, now closed for at least twenty years, comes this superb and rare faceted sphalerite. Sphalerite, a zinc iron sulfide, is usually found in black and very rarely in the rich orange color seen here—and it is rarely seen cut into a gemstone. The luster of sphalerite is its strongest attribute, i.e. it is adamantine, with a high refractive index and brilliance greater than diamonds. Vivid yellow with orange flashes abound in this beautiful oval-cut sphalerite, a large one for the species, which originates from the classic source in Spain. Weighing approximately 53.40 carats and measuring 24.79 x 20.40 x 14.59mm