Detailed Description

This is a unique, highly aesthetic arrangement of barite crystals, accompanied by thin wafers of sparkling quartz crystals. The barite crystals are sharp, glassy, lustrous and show beautiful subtle crystal forms and growth patterns. The specimen is a floater, complete all around, with truncated development of the lower crystal (which ends at one of the quartz wafers).  There is micro malachite in association. In excellent condition – tiny chips at two corners are not easily seen without magnification, to the eye there is no damage. Stands perfectly as photographed. This specimen changes hue somewhat depending on the lighting. Under a 50W halogen it has a warmer yellow colour, as in the first photo, and under daylight it appears as in the rest of the photos. This is a beautiful barite!

About These Bou Nahas Barites

Barite is one of the most common minerals at Bou Nahas. Specimens of barite and associated sulphide minerals (particularly pyrite and chalcopyrite) from Bou Nahas have been reaching the market since about 2011. In 2014, blockier, glassy, lustrous barite crystals made their debut, and since then we have continued to see more specimens of barite and associated sulphides from this locality. High-quality isolated barite crystals and crystal groups remain relatively scarce at this point, as most of this material to date has been damaged either during extraction or during transportation – but the top quality pieces are excellent barite specimens.