Mimetite with Cerussite, Quartz, and Tennantite Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region, Namibia, South West Africa. Ex. Thomas G. Fowler collection. From the 1971, “Gem Pocket” this mimetite is one of those exceptional crystal specimens that made the find famous. The largest crystal is amazing for its quality. For the find it can’t be considered exceptional in size measuring in at 1.6 cm, although it is large for the species. It is however truly gem as the name of the find implies. I have seen many of these hyped by other dealers as important, and they are NOT even gemmy. This one has numerous important attributes:
The crystal is gemmy and lustrous. The largest GEM crystal from the find that I have seen.
The crystal’s termination is unusual for the find. Most of these crystals formed with a pinacoid or slightly modified pinacoid as a termination. This one is much more complex.
The damage is negligible and not visible to the eye…the only damage is a small scrape on the backside of the mimetite’s termination visible with magnification. All other areas of the piece are damage free. The piece photographs nicely, although my skills at macro-photography do not show this.
The primary accessory, twinned cerussite, creates an aesthetic wrap around the mimetite crystal, is very transparent like the mimetite, and is complete and damage-free.
specimen is an outstanding miniature that measures 4.4 x 3.9 x 2.3 cm overall. The proportions are fantastic in relation to the size of this fine yellow mimetite. Sorry for my poor photography skills. This specimen is highly photogenic and I believe would easily exceed the Mineralogical Records cover specimens aesthetic value. This crystal is the same size, far more interesting and GEMMY. Possibly the most important piece in the Fowler collection. $5,500