100 mm Quartz, Hematite & Stilbite from Malmberget
$ 69.99
ID20354
Location:
Vestrafeltet, Malmberget, Gällivare, Norrbotten, Sweden
Size: 87x100x82 mm (368 gram)
Description
Here is a very cool piece from Vestrafeltet in Malmberget, Sweden.
The quartz has grown in a way that makes it look like a very old piece, with hematite and small yellow Stilbite crystals covering part of the stone (especially the backside).
The specimen is undamaged except one of the smaller quartz crystals in the bottom that is cut off.
If you look underneath (as shown in the last picture) you will see that the quarts is more clear inside.
Location:
Malmberget has one of the largest underground mines for ore in the world and the second-largest in Sweden. The deepest point is 1390 meters below ground. Annual production is over 5 million tonnes of iron ore.
There is a big variety of crystals and minerals found in the mines:
https://www.mindat.org/loc-10629.html
Sometimes the miners hit pockets with crystals, but seldom they are collected as it would slow the work. Luckily there are workers who are trying to save/collect the most interesting stuff.
My father had friends in the mining companies in Sweden and traded minerals directly from them. Most of the stuff he got was back about 15-25 years ago. Much of this material is now long gone, and seldom seen on the market.