Stibnite

STIBNITE  

Lengshuijiang, Hunan Province, China

specimen: 3 1/2 x 2 x 15 inches (8.9 x 5.1 x 38.1 cm)  

height with stand: 17 1/2 inches (44.5 cm)

Stibnite, the principal ore of antimony, forms in low-temperature hydrothermal veins. Its distinctive morphology — long, striated, blade-like crystals with a metallic sheen — makes large intact formations among the most architecturally striking of any mineral. The difficulty of extracting substantial stibnite formations without fracturing the crystals makes exhibition-quality vertical specimens a relative rarity. Lengshuijiang in Hunan Province is regarded as the world's foremost stibnite locality and has produced the finest and largest examples known to collectors.

A tall, vertically oriented formation of elongated bladed stibnite crystals with a pronounced metallic lustre. The chrome-bright reflective finish is notably superior to the dull surface patina common in lesser examples of the species — stibnite's surface oxidises readily, and specimens retaining this level of lustre are proportionally rare. The acicular crystals radiate from a central spine; the reverse presents a matrix surface encrusted with fine crystallisation.