Wulfenite

This attractive specimen features lustrous, thick, glassy wulfenite crystals with a rich orange colour. The crystals are translucent and exhibit complex, beveled edges—many of which have developed into semi-rosette or square, flower-like aggregates, giving the crystals a distinctive appearance.

Collected from the historic 79 Mine in Gila County, Arizona a locality originally discovered way back in 1879. The Mine is a former underground lead-zinc deposit with a long and complex history of ownership and production. Over the decades, it has yielded a wide variety of colourful and well-crystallized minerals, including outstanding examples of smithsonite, hemimorphite, aurichalcite, and wulfenite.

Although the mine is currently closed to the public, recent renewed activity under new ownership has sparked a resurgence in fine specimen recovery. Today, the 79 Mine remains an iconic and important locality for collectors of fine Arizona minerals.