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Esfalerita Marmatita

Esfalerita is a mineral with formula (Zn,Fe)S + FeS₂, in the Sulfuros group. This specimen comes from 2nd Sovetskii Mine, Dalnegorsk, Dalnegorsk Urban District, Primorsky Krai, Rusia and joined the Terrium collection in 1995.

Esfalerita Marmatita from 2nd Sovetskii Mine, Dalnegorsk, Dalnegorsk Urban District, Primorsky Krai, Rusia — Terrium

Description

Black sphalerite (marmatite) without matrix, with strongly developed parallel triangular and pyramidal faces. Extreme stepped growth; clean, geometric, architectural pattern. Good lustre and excellent presence. Brutalist aesthetic—Soviet school: geometry, mass, character.

History of this specimen

First acquisition of 2026 and my first Russian piece. While researching the mine I saw on Mindat a photo of a specimen so similar I thought it might be the same (https://www.mindat.org/PM6-WNG). It was not; to our surprise, Mike Williams, its current owner, confirmed they are near-twin pieces. Hence the story of the sphalerites "You to London and I to California", born at the same time and later separated. My sphalerite, with a Karp Minerals label, has always remained in Europe. It entered the collection of an Argentine surnamed Haller, who had moved to Germany in the 1990s. The twin piece followed a documented path in the United States; it reached Arizona from France after passing through the collection of Michel Jouty (1930–2016)—a leading reference for mineral aesthetics in France—and, before staying with Mike Williams, through those of J. Rukin Jelks (1927–2014)—a titan of collecting in the US, known for seeking "the best of the best" for his residence in Tucson. It is exceptional that two almost identical specimens exist. Even more exceptional that both have come down complete, preserved and documented to this day.

About Esfalerita

This habit indicates rapid, pulsed growth with rhythmic changes in the chemistry of a Zn-Fe-S-rich hydrothermal fluid. It is uncommon to see it this clean and so volumetric. Crystalline aggregate with repeated triangular terrace growth, forming an extremely pronounced zigzag–staircase pattern and a sawtooth aspect—"chevron" or "hopper" in English usage.

About the locality

Located in a narrow, elongated rectangle at the far eastern end of Russia, bordering China and North Korea and facing Japan. Historically isolated and intensively exploited during the communist period, Dalnegorsk produced many reference specimens between 1992—after the collapse of the Soviet system—and the early 2000s, when the outflow of collectable material was closed.

Technical data

Catalogue No.
0288
Composition
(Zn,Fe)S + FeS₂
Name
Esfalerita
Variety
Marmatita
Group
Sulfuros
Category
Cupidium
Mine
2nd Sovetskii Mine
District / Municipality
Dalnegorsk
Province
Dalnegorsk Urban District
Region
Primorsky Krai
Country
Rusia
Size (cm)
4 x 3.5 x 3.5
Weight
56.1 g
Acquired
1995
Ex-collection
Haller
Etymology
The name of this mineral is a fossilised miners' insult. Early German miners called it "Blende" (from the verb "blenden", to deceive) because its lustre promised good metals (lead or silver), but smelting it for value yielded nothing good. Official science kept the slur: in 1847 it was named Sphalerite, from the Greek "sphaleros", literally "treacherous". It is the spiritual sister of pitchblende—another slight in its name—and both are "deceitful" minerals that frustrated generations of miners. The variety Marmatite is named after Marmato (Colombia).
Quality
Top
Value trend
Al alza

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