Bulgarian Galena
Galena is lead sulfide (PbS) and by far the most important ore of lead. It forms bright metallic grey cubes and is unusually heavy, about 7.5 times the weight of the same volume of water. Galena often contains small amounts of silver, which made it a major source of silver for centuries. Ancient Egyptians ground it into kohl, a dark eye cosmetic, and in the early twentieth century galena crystals were the detectors in crystal radio sets, one of the first uses of a natural semiconductor.
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Natural Galena and Quartz Cluster 1200g
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Mineral guide
Bulgarian Galena
Bulgarian galena
The galena in this collection comes from Bulgaria. The Rhodope Mountains in the south of the country have long been mined for lead and zinc, and galena is the main lead mineral of those deposits. Bulgarian galena usually forms sharp cubes and cubo-octahedrons with a mirror-like shine, often set on a pale base of quartz or calcite.
Other minerals in these specimens
Galena almost always grew together with sphalerite, the zinc ore of the same deposits, and many specimens also carry quartz, calcite or brassy pyrite. The title of each listing names every mineral in the piece, and mixed specimens also appear in the collection of each mineral they contain.
How to recognise galena
Galena is soft at Mohs 2.5, so a knife scratches it easily, and even a small specimen feels unexpectedly heavy. It has perfect cleavage in three directions at right angles, so it breaks into neat little cubes, and it leaves a lead-grey streak. Fresh surfaces are mirror-bright and slowly dull to grey with time.
Safety and care
Galena contains lead. It is safe to display and handle, but wash your hands afterwards, keep it away from small children and pets, never put it in drinking water and never use it to make elixirs. Its perfect cleavage makes edges chip easily, so handle it gently and dust it with a soft dry brush rather than washing it.
Each listing shows the weight and photos of the actual specimen.