Millerite

A quite gorgeous miniature of beautifully crystallised Millerite from the Friedrich mine at Mittelhof, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany; a mine begun in 1803 and worked intermittently until 1953 for nickel, iron and copper.  The Millerite, a nickel sulphide, forms superb divergent sprays of bright golden acicular crystals, very-fine, but considerably thicker than the hair-like crystals more often seen. The delicate crystals form narrow, slim plumes averaging 1.5 cm tall in parallel growth and covering an area of some 3 x 2 cm on a mixed calcite and sulphide matrix.  The Calcite forms many pentagon-dodecahedral equant crystals of about 2 mm diameter and micro-druses of these, stained apple green by nickel, form an aesthetic backdrop to the Millerite.  A delightful miniature from the Josef Clemente (1899-1987) Collection of southern Germany.