Calcite / Siderite - Biggenden Mine, Queensland, Australia
This is a well defined plate of siderite with lustrous calcite crystals atop it. The calcite is clear, and of high quality. The siderite matrix shows at least two generations of growth before calcite deposition. The contrast of the two makes for great aesthetics.
The Biggenden Mine was a commercially operated mine first discovered in 1888, in the Northern Territory of Queensland, Australia. The mine operated first for gold, then for bismuth. Specimen collecting occurred in a few decades of leniency, between 1966 and 1999, with miners and local gem clubs being allowed to harvest specimens.
Specimen Measures: 3.52×2.65×1.53 inches (89.5×67.5×39.1 mm) 194 Grams
This is a well defined plate of siderite with lustrous calcite crystals atop it. The calcite is clear, and of high quality. The siderite matrix shows at least two generations of growth before calcite deposition. The contrast of the two makes for great aesthetics.
The Biggenden Mine was a commercially operated mine first discovered in 1888, in the Northern Territory of Queensland, Australia. The mine operated first for gold, then for bismuth. Specimen collecting occurred in a few decades of leniency, between 1966 and 1999, with miners and local gem clubs being allowed to harvest specimens.
Specimen Measures: 3.52×2.65×1.53 inches (89.5×67.5×39.1 mm) 194 Grams
This is a well defined plate of siderite with lustrous calcite crystals atop it. The calcite is clear, and of high quality. The siderite matrix shows at least two generations of growth before calcite deposition. The contrast of the two makes for great aesthetics.
The Biggenden Mine was a commercially operated mine first discovered in 1888, in the Northern Territory of Queensland, Australia. The mine operated first for gold, then for bismuth. Specimen collecting occurred in a few decades of leniency, between 1966 and 1999, with miners and local gem clubs being allowed to harvest specimens.
Specimen Measures: 3.52×2.65×1.53 inches (89.5×67.5×39.1 mm) 194 Grams