Orpiment, Realgar

A golden-yellow orpiment with bright red realgar, likely from the White Caps Mine in Manhattan, Nevada. The orpiment forms rich, eye-catching masses with a warm, saturated colour, associated with vivid red realgar. The White Caps Mine, discovered in the late 19th century, was an important producer in the Manhattan district until a fire in 1958 brought an end to its operation. As a result, specimens from this locality are all historic in nature and very difficult to obtain. This specimen comes from the collection of Dr. Peter Tarassoff.