Galena with Chalcopyrite (Spinel Law Twins)

This museum grade cabinet specimen displays an approximately 10 x 6 cm surface packed-tight with superb spinel law Galena twins, punctuated by underlying glimpses of golden Chalcopyrite. It is from Herja mine; an old mine by the village of Chiuzbaia in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. The contact twins are elongated to form long and narrow crystals ranging between 2 and almost 4 cm long, all of steely silver with a highly reflective, bright metallic lustre. This is one of those Galenas with the ‘melted’ look; a familiar habit from Romania, Bulgaria and many locations in the USA. If you are unfamiliar with this morphology, the crystals are, of course, not melted but appear to be through gently rounded surfaces, edges and subtly distorted habits. The paradox is, given such distortion and softening of features you may think the aesthetic would be degraded, yet the opposite is true. And despite this habit, all crystals remain well formed with distinct crystal faces and well-defined edges. Brassy, crystallised Chalcopyrite underlies the entire layer of Galena, yet only manifests in occasional patches where the Galena crystals are slightly separated. Summing-up, a magnificent spinel law twinned Galena from Herja mine; suitable for the most top level collector.