Witherite

The Rosiclare fluorspar mine worked a Fluorite and Calcite deposit of extensive size in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District of Hardin County, Illinois.  The area where the mine building once stood is now the American Fluorite Museum.  From this mine and ex., the Dr Josef Clemente Collection, this superb large miniature of well crystallised Witherite, barium carbonate, will make an excellent addition to any collection, be this a locality piece or a somewhat unusual species.  The Witherite forms double terminated crystals to 2.8 cm long and 1.5 cm diameter at their widest central prism.  The crystals are hexagonal with steep, curved, church spire-like terminations, and horizontally striated around both the prism body and terminations.  They are translucent creamy-white with a patchy snow-white coating of Baryte and a dull satin lustre.  There are six Witherite crystals, three of which are intergrown, and sit on a sharp, hackly matrix of micro-spiky Calcite and possible Witherite.  An excellent Witherite from Rosiclare in Illinois.