Wulfenite

Fine bright zoned apricot-orange to mildly burnt-orange crystals of Wulfenite, from the Los Lamentos area in Mexico. Crystals of Wulfenite measuring to 8 mm display a blocky habit, with developed pyramid faced truncated by pinacoid terminations, on a classic white-grey Calcite matrix coating a dense, well indurated grey limestone.  It is the larger Wulfenite crystals which are blocky and colour zoned, all are like a three-tiered sandwich of alternating parallel bands of either light-dark-light apricot or dark-light-dark apricot.  The smaller crystals are typically bi-pyramidal with truncated pinacoids.  The contrast of the bright glassy lustre of the Wulfenite against creamy-white Calcite blades with a satin lustre is delightful.  A great Wulfenite from Los Lamentos.