Sphalerite 'ruby' with Pyrite epitaxy and Dolomite - Trèves, Cévennes, Gard, France - Height: 8.3 cm - Width: 5 cm- 140 g

Watch a video of this specimen by following the Vimeo link below: https://vimeo.com/1128648677/a43cef2a30

Here is an excellent quality specimen from Trèves, displaying translucent ruby colour sphalerite with highly sparkling micro pyrite epitaxy and contrasting pearly white dolomite!

Ex collection Klaas-Richard.
M. Klaas was a miner in Fontsante mine.

Trèves was not an actual mine: in 1970, the Penarroya mining company initiated exploration works for what had been evaluated as a major zinc deposit nearby the remote Villemagne village, Cévennes massif. After opening a large decline for mining trucks, galleries sized for jumbos and hitting the rock volumes that were assumed to be a high grade stratiform sulphide deposit, it was realized that there was actually no deposit of economic interest. The exploitation definitely shut down around 1974.

This misevaluation lead to a great failure for Penarroya however, fortunately for mineral collectors, a series of pockets was hit during the few years of mining.
This very good locality specimen comes from one of them, was selected and purchased right after extraction by a keen local collector.