Sphalerite, Quartz, Galena

This attractive small cabinet specimen features sharp, lustrous olive-green sphalerite crystals accompanied by quartz on the top surface, with a light sprinkling of another mineral—possibly calcite—over the quartz. On the underside, a well-formed, lustrous silvery cubic galena crystal is visible. Several of the sphalerite crystals show modified forms and possible "spinel-law" twinning, with translucent areas exhibiting black to deep green hues. Some of the finest gem-grade green sphalerite in the world comes from the Madan region of Bulgaria, producing beautiful gem stones with great green colour. This specimen originates from the Krushev Dol deposit (meaning "Valley of the Pears"), a renowned Pb-Zn deposit within the Madan ore field. The sulfide mineralization from this locality—particularly sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite—is considered among the finest of its kind globally.

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This specimen comes from the collection of Dr. Peter Tarassoff, a prominent figure in mineralogy, particularly known for his work at Mont Saint-Hilaire (MSH). His diligent collecting and examination efforts have led him to be the first to identify at least 35 species and discover 12 new species, not only at MSH but also at other alkaline localities. Dubbed the "Dean" of Mont Saint-Hilaire collectors, Peter was honoured with the naming of the new species petarasite in 1980. He has authored or co-authored numerous mineralogical articles and has been a member of the Mineralogical Association of Canada since 1964. Additionally, Peter has volunteered at the Redpath Museum for the past 21 years, where he was formally appointed the Honorary Curator of Mineralogy. In recognition of his significant contributions to mineralogy, Peter was awarded the 2017 Pinch Medal.