Description
This is a fine specimen with numerous burnt-orange-brown crystals of Campylite which are lining a vug, from the well known Dry Gill Mine of Caldbeck Fells. A classic old-time and showy English specimen of discrete and clustered Campylite crystals on superbly contrasting oxide-coated Quartz matrix. Campylite is the old English name for barrel-shaped Mimetite crystals and here we have a superb example with sharp and highly lustrous crystals and only minor imperfection.
The finest Mimetite specimens were collected in the 19th century but, although increasingly hard to find, some fine material has been obtained since, particularly in the 1970´s. However, the mine is notoriously unstable, cold and wet, and there have been a number of accidents involving collectors. No one has been critically injured but the incidents have highlighted the dangers of the old workings in the Caldbeck Fells. (mindat)