Pharmacosiderite

Wheal Gorland is an old mine whose first records date to 1792 and this miniature Pharmacosiderite is also an old-time specimen judging from its original label.  Pharmacosiderite is usually considered to be green, but it can occur as clove-brown crystals and this is such a specimen.  A typical iron-stained Quart veinstone matrix with a vuggy surface is heavily invested with micro-cubic Pharmacosiderite crystals, all under 1 millimetre across and forming a rich druse.  Wheal Gorland lay in the Parish of Gwennap, just a little to the east of Redruth in south-west England.  This specimen is from the Josef Clemente (1899-1987) Collection of southern Germany, but the accompanying label predates this and is from the private collection of Fr. Ritter of Hildesheim.  This printed label is filled out in beautiful old copper-plate Germanic script and the mine name is recorded as Huel Gorland, ‘Huel’ being the old form of ‘Wheal’.