Cassiterite with Tourmaline

Cassiterite with TourmalineThe Viloco Mine (sometimes called Araca) for many years has stood as one of the top Cassiterite localities in the world. This mine is still active today and bears the unique distinction of producing the only GEM quality (facet grade) Cassiterites from any mine in Bolivia. Considering the millions of tons of tin ore that Bolivia has yielded, the fact that only one mine ever produced transparent Cassiterite is remarkable. This piece is a good, lustrous,

This piece features a few attractive "cogwheel"-twinned crystal groups of Bournonite with superb luster sitting atop a matrix of micro Pyrite

golden striated Pyrite pyritohedra

white/colorless Quartz crystals aesthetically flaring out of the sides

sharpness and translucency with golden Siderite and sitting on wonderfully contrasting

Hard to photograph and BETTER in person

This piece is a great

It is not only highly sought after but has also been dubbed the "Holy Grail" of mineral species for collectors

The piece comes from my father’s collection

antimony sulfosalt which are sitting atop a “nest” of rare lustrous acicular Zinkenite crystals

and despite their smaller size

brownish color

and sometimes lesser known