Object Description
A collection of museum mineral specimens in a display case with a removable lid. Presented in a sleek glazed case with a removable lid, the set includes 30 European minerals including vanadinite, stilbite, azurite, and pyrite, all with their own striking appearance. Each one is of a superb quality having come from a museum collection.
Moulded by nature over thousands of years, these 30 specimens showcase an impressive sculptural piece for an interior display or collectors cabinet.
More about the minerals inside…
First discovered in Mexico, vanadinite is a rare mineral usually found in the form of red hexagonal crystals with a dense brittle texture.
Stilbite is found in zeolite deposits all around the world; its crystal structure is flattened and columned with pointed ends. It can even form in interesting clusters, such as the one included in this case.
Azurite is a soft, deep-blue copper mineral made by weathering of copper ore deposits. During the early 19th century, it was also known as chessylite, after the type found in Chessy-les-Mines near Lyon, France.
Pyrite comes from the Greek “pyr” for “fire”, because it creates sparks when struck with another mineral or metal. Its brassy-yellow metallic colour has in many cases lead to people mistaking it for gold, hence its common nickname ‘Fool’s gold’.
Additional information
Each mineral varies in size from about 2cm to 9cm (0.78in to 3.54in).
The case dates to circa 1880 and in a Victorian style. The minerals are prehistoric.