Native Silver

Native Silver from mines in the vicinity of Eisleben in the Mansfeld Basin of Germany commonly form as very thin sheets, a result of the depositional environment controlled by the slate host rock.  This is a super example capturing the characteristic habit and oxidation patina that these mines are known for.  The roughly 4 x 5 cm plate is very thin, even probably less than one millimetre, but given this dimension, surprisingly strong and substantial.  With respectful handling there is no danger that the specimen will fragment in any way.  Where the Native Silver is visible, it is a greyish-white silver with a sub-metallic lustre and where oxidised, sooty dark grey-black.  Both faces have subtly-ribbed surfaces and both in parallel.  This is probably a combination of the controlled direction of crystal growth in either a narrow, slickensided micro-fault or a equally narrow fracture in foliated slate.