Proustite

This specimen features rich, ruby-red proustite scattered throughout a carbonate-quartz matrix. The "ruby silver" crystallization is easily visible as it coats much of the top of the piece, many of the crystals have prismatic faces but many are also rounded and oddly formed too . Proustite earns its nickname due to its intense, electric blood-red colour when strongly backlit, making it a fascinating sulfide species that is remarkably transparent under the right conditions. The specimen comes from the Uchucchacua Mine in Peru, a renowned silver mine known for its complex mineralization formed through multiple stages of deposition. Uchucchacua began operations in 1975 but temporarily halted production in late 2021 due to technical and social challenges, resuming operations in September 2023. This mine has produced some of the world’s finest examples of proustite and other silver-bearing minerals.