Sulphur

Sicily has been one of the world's most important sulphur-producing regions since antiquity, with hundreds of mines scattered across the island's central "sulphur belt." During the nineteenth century, Sicilian mines supplied much of the world's sulphur, producing countless classic mineral specimens before mining declined during the twentieth century. The Racalmuto district, in the Province of Agrigento, is particularly well known for its bright yellow native sulphur crystals occurring on white gypsum and calcite matrices.

This impressive cabinet specimen displays numerous lustrous lemon-yellow sulphur crystals measuring up to 15 mm perched on a sparkling white drusy matrix. The translucent crystals exhibit the rich colour for which Sicilian sulphur is renowned and are well distributed across the specimen, creating an attractive contrast with the underlying white matrix. Measuring 14.5 cm across, this is a fine representative of one of Italy's classic mineral localities and is further enhanced by its provenance from the Peter Tarassoff Collection.