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Description
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Schalenblende cab ~
Offered here is a very special collector's cab of schalenblende, from Olkusz, Poland, something I'd never seen in cabochon form until I cut one a couple years back. I'm told the moniker is German, meaning "shell ore", and that its concentric-layered structure is composed of four minerals in distinct successive bands: The yellowish brown is wurtzite, the dark brown is sphalerite, the bright chrome is galena, and the brassy metallics are marcasite. Quite a mouthful! Rain and I liked it immediately for the strong contrast between its scalloped bands and its patches and cubes of gleaming metals (with sparkle!), and believe me when I say it's even more impressive in hand. After the striking pattern, you'll notice it's very VERY heavy, surprisingly so! Just awesome stuff, quite perfectly fascinating. This substantial cab has a high rounded dome of 6mm, a freeform designer shape, and despite a teensy natural void or two on the backside, it has a bright gleaming polish
on both sides.
Size: 40x34mm
Weight: approximately 115 carats
Price: SOLD See current gemstones for sale
Schalenblende
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