Yeso
Yeso is a mineral with formula CaSO₄·2H₂O, in the Sulfatos group. This specimen comes from Rudna Mine, Lubin, Baja Silesia, Polonia and joined the Terrium collection in 2016.
Description
Pelopincho or "El Despeinado" or "El primo de la Cacatúa". A golden burst of gypsum on a rock matrix impregnated with secondary copper minerals, chiefly malachite. Slight fluorescence.
History of this specimen
I have it; I chased it, because I already had its punk cousin, the "Cacatúa" piece (0389), in the collection. I had it in my hand at the Deifontes fair, turned it over, but let it go. Days later I tracked down the owner’s contact because I could not get it out of my head. I wanted it in the collection. And I got it. Two pieces with inverted readings. This one is brown with a green tint, and the other is green on a brown matrix. The yin to its yang—or the yang to its yin, depending on which you look at first.
About Yeso
Golden gypsum on a polymetallic matrix. It is the result of secondary oxidation where water transformed primary copper sulphides, CuFeS₂, into carbonates such as malachite, Cu₂(OH)₂CO₃. The gypsum grows on a dolomite or silicified sandstone matrix that is extremely dense and heavy for its size, indicating pervasive metal impregnation. The dolomite matrix is thoroughly impregnated with secondary copper minerals, mainly malachite.
About the locality
Rudna is a copper mine that is practically an underground city, with thousands of kilometres of galleries, internal roads and vehicles operating at more than one kilometre depth, in very hard rock and temperatures approaching 45 °C. It is such an extreme environment that, even today, with in-house machinery and some of the most advanced refrigeration and seismic detection systems in the world, miners still descend saying 'Szczęść Boże', roughly 'God be with you' or 'God help you'. During the feast of Saint Barbara, Barbórka, they parade in dress uniforms with hats topped by large coloured plumes. Hence these two pieces share a poetic coincidence: they resemble small mineral plumes born of that underground world of copper and tradition.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0407
- Composition
- CaSO₄·2H₂O
- Name
- Yeso
- Group
- Sulfatos
- Category
- Cresta Montis
- Associations
- malaquita
- Mine
- Rudna Mine
- District / Municipality
- Lubin
- Province
- Baja Silesia
- Country
- Polonia
- Size (cm)
- 8 x 8 x 6
- Weight
- 184.2 g
- Acquired
- 2016
- Ex-collection
- Jesús Paterna
- Etymology
- From the Greek gypsos, meaning gypsum or chalk, in reference to its historical use as a building and sculptural material.
- Quality
- Muy buena
- Value trend
- Estable
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