Freieslebenite, Siderite and Quartz

Freieslebenite is a rare silver-lead-antimony sulphosalt and in this superb specimen forms as silver-gunmetal-grey striated crystals to about 7 mm wide on a bed of micro-drusy Quartz crystals and fish-scale arrays of light fawn-tan Siderite.  All these associated crystals sit on a matrix of massive cream Siderite.  The specimen is from Filon Rico in Hiendelaencina, Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, in north-central Spain and contains an area of about 1.5 x 5 cm rich in Freieslebenite displaying various aspects of its crystal form.  The accompanying Siderite forms worm-like stacks of fish-scale habit crystals, all about 2 to 3 mm diameter, which meander between the Quartz and some of the Freieslebenite.  This is a top-quality specimen of the extremely rare sulphosalt Freieslebenite from this well-known Spanish locality.