Orpiment crystals from the Jiepaiyu Mine, Shimen, Hunan Province, China– micromount as unique piece
This micromount specimen displays impressively developed Orpiment crystals from the Jiepaiyu Mine, Shimen, Hunan Province, China. The intensely orange yellow to golden amber crystals are tightly grouped and form striking radiating aggregates with clearly defined tabular to prismatic crystal habits. Several crystals project prominently, giving the specimen a strong three dimensional presence. The vivid resinous luster combined with the high color saturation makes this small specimen visually powerful and highly appealing to collectors despite its compact size.
Geology & Origin
The Jiepaiyu Mine in Hunan Province, China, is an internationally renowned locality for arsenic bearing sulfide minerals. Orpiment formed here under low temperature hydrothermal conditions, when arsenic rich solutions crystallized within fractures and cavities of the host rock. The locality is especially known for its intensely colored, crystal rich Orpiment specimens, which are widely regarded as reference material for this mineral species.