Erythrite

The town of Schneeberg in Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany, is host to many mines forming this famous mining district which hosts no less than 37 type localities, Erythrite being one. Dull cherry-red acicular crystals of Erythrite cover a 2.0 x 1.3 cm area amongst tiny 1 to 2 mm glassy Quartz crystals, exposed on one side of a vuggy Quartz veinstone. The Erythrite forms thickish-acicular crystals which, when back lit, are translucent, bright cherry-red. This miniature is accompanied with a very old looking German handwritten label, in beautiful copperplate script. For all connoisseurs of specimens which feature in a publication, this appears on page 33 of the May 2010 edition of Lapis (Vol. 35, No. 5). If you reference this, please note the old label appearing with this specimen is different to that which now accompanies it, although both appear contemporary.