Hundreds of tiny (<= ¼ mm) xls of pinkish hodgkinsonite cover most of one surface. In the gaps, there are several groups of well formed black. hetaerolite xls. The group in the first close-up photo (FOV 6.7 x 4.5 mm) spans about 1 mm. The heataerolite xls are very lustrous. To make the shapes clear I used reflections. But that hides the fact that they are actually jet black. The second close-up is an attempt to show some larger groups of hetaerolite. Again, I had to use reflections to bring out the shapes. However this photo isn’t too successful. In reality, the very dark areas in the photo are just as reflective as the others but look like mush in the photo. Even under the scope, it is necessary to illuminate each group individually to see that the xls are (mostly) quite sharp. Even with reflections, the photos don’t do a very good job. In any case, you will need 15-30X to view the heataerolite cleary. For the hodgkinsonite you will need at least 50-60X to see individual xls – although, en masse, it is easily visible to the naked eye. The hodkinsonite was verified at the eds level on a fragment of this specimen. The matrix is calcite poor willemite-franklinite ore.

Note: This specimen is from the Sterling Mine – not the Franklin Mine. Hodgkinsonite from Franklin generally has a much deeper color and, when not massive, comes in much larger xls. However, these remain the only known localities (now long closed) for this mineral.

Weight 3.7 oz. Single item shipping weight (small box) 5.7 oz. Outside the USA, items with a combined weight < 8 oz could be shipped for the same cost as this item alone. Within the USA, this item could fit in a small Priority Mail box ($5.80), but it is cheaper to use First Class up to about 13 oz.