Franckeite and zinkenite, two lead bearing metallic minerals, grow together here, gray plates and silvery needles side by side.
The franckeite forms a cluster of sparkling, metallic gray crystals, and the zinkenite appears as silvery, needle shaped crystals through and over it, so the surface has a complex, rough texture that changes as you turn it under a light. At about 11.6 inches long and 6 kilograms, it has real presence in a display case or on a study shelf. It comes from Morocco and makes a memorable gift for a collector of ore minerals or a geologist. This is the exact specimen shown.
The specimen is about 11.625 by 7 by 5 inches and weighs about 6.015 kilograms.
About Franckeite and Zinkenite
Franckeite is a sulfosalt of lead, tin, antimony and iron, an opaque, grayish black mineral with a metallic luster that forms rosettes of thin plates. It is soft, 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale, and closely related to cylindrite. Zinkenite is a lead antimony sulfide that grows as steel gray, metallic needles, named for the German mineralogist Johann Karl Ludwig Zinken.
Additional Details
- You receive the exact franckeite with zinkenite specimen shown.
- About 11.625" x 7" x 5"; about 6.015kg.
- Origin: Morocco.
- Contains lead and antimony. This is a display specimen: wear gloves or wash your hands after handling, do not breathe the dust, keep it away from food, pets and small children, and never use it in water, elixirs or the mouth.
- Fragile: the needles and plates break easily; handle by the base and dust with compressed air.
- Heavy; lift with two hands from the base, not by the crystal edges.
- Photos show the actual piece.
Shipping and Returns
- Carefully packed in reinforced packaging made to protect fragile crystals and minerals in transit.
- We have shipped delicate stones for years, and every order is packed with that experience.
- Covered by our 30-day return policy.
