This attractive thumbnail specimen is composed primarily of numerous metallic-bright, intergrown octahedral cobaltite crystals, accompanied by minor pyrite, chalcopyrite, micro quartz, and epidote. There may even be a speck or two of gold present—difficult to confirm, but intriguing for those who enjoy inspecting specimens under the microscope. Hailing from the Merry Widow Mine on Vancouver Island, this piece represents a fine example of cobaltite from an unusual and historically significant locality. The Merry Widow Mine is known for producing cobalt-rich sulfide specimens within copper skarn and magnetite ore bodies. Cobaltite here occurs in contact-metasomatic skarn zones, typically associated with other sulfides. Originally developed for magnetite extraction in the 1950s–60s, the mine later became known for its copper–gold–cobalt mineralization. This cobalt-arsenic sulfosalt specimen stands out as a well-presented example from a classic but less commonly represented Canadian locality.
