Wulfenita Roja
Wulfenita is a mineral with formula PbMoO₄, in the Molibdatos group. This specimen comes from Sanda Hills, Kimbedi, Mindouli District, Pool, República del Congo and joined the Terrium collection in 2000.
Description
Small geode featuring a large wulfenite crystal with adamantine lustre and exceptional colour zoning: yellow-orange core and intense red edges. Small quartz crystals line the cavity. Matrix unusually heavy for its size due to lead and iron inclusions. Excellent under a hand lens.
History of this specimen
My first piece from Spirifer Minerals, the prestigious Polish group of mineralogists and geologists led by Tomasz Praszkier.
About Wulfenita
Wulfenite is a lead molybdate with a typically tabular habit, valued for its colour and relative rarity. It can form thick crystals, although this is not common. Red varieties tend to be more sought after than yellow ones on the collector market.
About the locality
This is a difficult deposit to work due to political instability in the area, which makes the arrival of pieces of this quality on the international market sporadic and highly valued; in fact, the Sanda (Kimbedi) locality is seldom seen in the trade.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0069
- Composition
- PbMoO₄
- Name
- Wulfenita
- Variety
- Roja
- Group
- Molibdatos
- Category
- Cavella
- Associations
- Cuarzo
- Mine
- Sanda Hills
- District / Municipality
- Kimbedi
- Province
- Mindouli District
- Region
- Pool
- Country
- República del Congo
- Size (cm)
- 3 x 1.5 x 1
- Weight
- 26.7 g
- Acquired
- 2000
- Etymology
- Named in 1845 in honour of the mineralogist Franz Xavier von Wulfen (1728–1805) for his contributions to the study of lead and its minerals.
- Quality
- Notable
- Value trend
- Al alza
Related specimens
- Dioptasa — República del Congo
- Mimetita — República del Congo
- Piromorfita — República del Congo
- Piromorfita — República del Congo
- Wulfenita (Bipiramidal) — China
- Wulfenita (Naranja, Amarilla) — México