Description

A classic twinned smoky-coloured cerussite from Tsumeb, this aesthetic specimen was in the Ernie and Vera Schlichter collection. The twinning is sensational and the faces at the terminations are super. This is a very nice display specimen with glassy lustre and transparency with a little prism-like play of colour from some crystals at some angles.

The specimen is in excellent overall condition (it wouldn’t have been in the Schlichter collection had it not been a fine specimen). It does however have a couple of chips and broken crystals – I’ve tried to show this in the photographs. The main twins are fully terminated in great shape – one small missing crystal grew beside the top twin and so some contacting is apparent, and one spot with a missing crystal is flush to the matrix in behind one of the twins, so although it’s in the middle of the piece it is not what grabs your attention. The base has been sawed so it stands perfectly – it was nicely done. The first photo is the angle I’d display it at (it stands like this on its own) and the second photo is the same angle.  Third and fourth photos are from a little more above the specimen to help you see it all.  Hard to tame some of the lustre for the photos – the silkier faces (the sides of the twins) are easy, but the glassy faces are bright!