Skutterudite

This hunk of silver ore was originally labeled as “smaltite,” this material is now understood to be an arsenic-deficient variety of skutterudite. It was historically described as a cobalt diarsenide, but modern interpretation suggests these variations were likely the result of mixed mineral phases in older analyses. As such, “smaltite” is best regarded as a synonym of skutterudite.

The specimen consists of skutterudite with associated arsenides and represents exceptionally dense material from the renowned Cobalt–Gowganda area of Ontario. Massive examples of this mineral are uncommon worldwide. Weighing 169 g, this piece is a fine representation of classic cobalt camp mineralization.