Proustite from Chile sets the standard for sheer color, and metallic lustre, for the species. Specimens were mined generally prior to WWI with a peak in the late 1880s to early 1890s. Large specimens were sent out in particular through one mine engineer to museums around the world. Most larger specimens offer a tradeoff of color and richness vs. perfection. Here, we have massive, fat, gemmy crystals, but many of them are contacted or damaged. This piece, if you see the label here, seems to have been obtained in South America by the mineralogist Dr. Mark Bandy, who helped develop modern Bolivia's mining resources and was particularly important in obtaining and preserving mineralogical samples from the region. Although his collection resides in Los Angles County Museum today, it seems he donated or traded this piece to the Smithsonian Institution. Weighs 269 grams.
Attribution: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
You are free:
to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original.
This work is free and may be used by anyone for any purpose. If you wish to use this content, you do not need to request permission as long as you follow any licensing requirements mentioned on this page.
The Wikimedia Foundation has received an e-mail confirming that the copyright holder has approved publication under the terms mentioned on this page. This correspondence has been reviewed by a Volunteer Response Team (VRT) member and stored in our permission archive. The correspondence is available to trusted volunteers as ticket #2010022810018255.