Quartz with Calcite and Galena

The vast lead-zinc-silver deposits which form the Madan ore field in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria produce spectacular specimens and although only several species make it through to the collector, those which do are often spectacular.  Quartz is fairly common, but thick transparent prisms like in this fine cabinet specimen are more unusual.  Well terminated hexagonal Quartz crystals up to over 4 cm tall and 1 cm wide form a slightly splayed hedgehog spray radiating from a matrix of massive Galena.  The Quartz is colourless to yellowish-smoky grey and is preferentially coated on three of the six faces with snow white equant Calcite crystals.  This is a superb Quartz with Calcite from the Madan mining district, an area which has been in near-constant production since Roman times and still has many working mines today.