Pyromorphite

The Friedrichssegen mine in Frücht, lies in the Bad Ems District of Germany, a polymetallic mining district which instantly evokes superb Pyromorphites. This mine is located 4.5 km south-west of Bad Ems and worked siderite-quartz veins in Lower Devonian schists for zinc, lead, copper and silver. The mine closed in 1913. Amongst the large suite of minerals found at this locality, Pyromorphite is amongst its best. This small cabinet size matrix-less specimen is composed entirely of superb, highly translucent Pyromorphite crystals of a typical Bad Ems light pinkish-clove-brown. The crystals are typically 1 to 1.2 cm long and about 0.7 cm broad. Much smaller Pyromorphite crystals fill in original void-space between the large crystals and overgrow some of the bigger crystals, branching out from their sides. This is a wonderful Pyromorphite, so characteristic of Bad Ems and comes with an old and fragile German label.