Estibina
Estibina is a mineral with formula Sb₂S₃, in the Sulfuros group. This specimen comes from Minas de Madan, Madan, Smolyan, Bulgaria and joined the Terrium collection in 2022.
Description
Inverted stibnite bundles resembling small metallic tipis on a beige barite and quartz matrix. Includes a wonderful small cavity ideal for a loupe.
About Estibina
Long before it was classified as an antimony sulfide, stibnite was already ground to make kohl, the medicinal Egyptian cosmetic found in tombs next to the raw mineral. Its linguistic journey evolved from the Greek platyophthalmos ("bright-eyed") to the Latin stibium, the word from which we inherit the chemical symbol Sb.
About the locality
Madan is one of the major Balkan districts for hydrothermal sulfosalts. Many classic pieces from the area combine dark metallic sulphides with barite, quartz and a light ferruginous matrix, exactly as here.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0441
- Internal reference
- T0048
- Composition
- Sb₂S₃
- Name
- Estibina
- Group
- Sulfuros
- Category
- Meritum Persé
- Associations
- Barita, Cuarzo
- Mine
- Minas de Madan
- District / Municipality
- Madan
- Province
- Smolyan
- Country
- Bulgaria
- Acquired
- 2022
- Ex-collection
- Miguel Ángel
- Etymology
- Stibnite’s journey: from Greek platyophthalmos (bright eyes) to Latin stibium (symbol Sb), leading to antimony and its dark, apocryphal «monk-killing» legend.
- Quality
- Buena
- Value trend
- Estable
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