- Stone type
- Natural cleiophane (green sphalerite) with quartz
- Weight
- 17g
- Size
- 38x23x16mm
- Color
- Olive-green with grey
- Cut
- Rough
- Clarity
- Opaque
- Treatment
- Untreated
- Origin
- Bulgaria
- Hardness
- 3.5-7
Natural Cleiophane Green Sphalerite with Quartz Cluster Crystal from Bulgaria 17g
Taxes included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
- Secure Payment
- Real Photos
- Fast Delivery
A small block with pale tan matrix at one end and dark crystals across the rest. Grey-black sphalerite makes up most of the surface in blocky, striated crystals, and threaded through them are cleiophane zones in olive to yellow-green, brightest along the upper edge. At the right end a well-formed cleiophane crystal stands slightly proud of the rest, with clean faces and a good glassy shine. White quartz fills the gaps between.
The green and the black on this piece are the same mineral. Sphalerite runs from honey and green to opaque black depending on how much iron replaces the zinc, and a piece like this, where both tones sit side by side, shows the transition on one specimen. From the Rhodope lead-zinc deposits in Bulgaria. Untreated. Sphalerite is 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale and quartz 7, a small piece at 38mm and easy to store.
Natural cleiophane green sphalerite with quartz, Bulgaria, single piece.
We ship worldwide from Sofia, Bulgaria. Every order is packed in a protective box with bubble wrap. Orders within Bulgaria are dispatched within 1-2 business days and international orders within 2-3 business days. Free shipping is applied automatically at checkout, and the threshold applies to the order value after any discounts.
Delivery within Bulgaria
- Delivered by Speedy, Econt or Box Now, to a courier office, a locker or your address.
- Fixed prices: Box Now locker €1.60 (free on orders from €25), Speedy office €3.20, Econt office or locker €4.00, Speedy to your address €4.50.
- Free shipping on orders over €50, with any courier and at any weight.
- Cash on delivery is available.
- Delivery normally takes 1-2 business days after dispatch.
- Hardness
- 3.5-7
- Cleavage
- Varies
- Durability
- Fair
- Soapy water
- Rinse only
- Ultrasonic
- Avoid
- Steam
- Avoid
About this specimen
This specimen combines several minerals that grew together, each with its own hardness and weak spots, so treat it as gently as its softest part. Here soft minerals such as galena, calcite or sphalerite (hardness 2.5 to 4) sit right next to hard quartz (7).
Cleaning
Rinse it briefly in lukewarm water, loosen dirt with a soft brush and let it air-dry. Do not scrub the crystals. Skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners: they can loosen crystals and open cracks between the different minerals.
Wear and storage
Store it padded and apart from other specimens, so its edges and faces do not chip or scratch. Lift it by its base or matrix, not by the crystals. It is softer than a steel knife, so keep metal tools and harder stones away from it.
Scale
True to scale: 38 × 23 × 16 mm
Shown next to a €1 coin (23.25 mm) in the exact ratio, so you can picture the real size. The outline is approximate.
