Chalcocite (19th Century Fake)

Faked mineral specimens are not just a present day issue; they have a long history and tend to exist whenever demand exceeds supply of a desirable and sought after species.  At first glance this is a most attractive specimen of well crystallised Chalcocite, purportedly (and probably is) from the Levant mine at Trewellard close to St Just in Cornwall.  A rich group of grey metallic Chalcocite crystals sit and stand on a flat platy matrix of green-tinged cream Calcite.  On examination however, the larger crystals can be seen to be embedded in a cream-coloured paste which has not been well camouflaged to say the least!  Under LWUV the paste fluoresces a dull leaf-green.  In all likelihood, all the components of this specimen probably originate from Levant, but from different parts of the mine!  A great example of a classic 19th Century Cornish fake, for those collectors fascinated in the history of Cornish mines and its minerals.