Argentite on Quartz

An old-time specimen from the Banská Štiavnica mining area in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia. Dark, metallic grey Argentite crystals are over-grown by similar coloured, smooth to botryoidal Argentite, with areas of micro-Pyrite crystals, formed on a prismatic crystal of translucent off-white Quartz. The Quartz crystal stands 7.5 cm tall above the clear acrylic base to which it is glued, with the sooty, matt black masses of Argentite draped and folded around approximately half its diameter. The Quartz crystal is a fine example of the Muzo habit, in which alternating faces of the hexagonal prism are broad and narrow. This crystal tends to the extreme form where the narrow faces are almost negligible, resulting in a prism which appears to have three faces and therefore of a near trigonal habit. A rare specimen of Slovakian Argentite on Quartz from the Huber collection.