BARYTE

ABOUT THE SPECIMEN

Classic cluster of Italian baryte with nice form and good gemminess in areas. The best part of all is the very distinct phantoms in the main crystal.

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The Villamassargia baryte deposits occur on Monte Mesu hill within Paleozoic metasediments of the Variscan external zone, with mineralization formed through late-to-post-Variscan hydrothermal activity (approximately 290-270 Ma) during extensional tectonics. The baryte crystallized from saline reducing fluids circulating through fault zones, with metal-bearing brines ascending through the crust driven by high heat flow. Specimens display tubular to tabular prismatic crystals in amber to chocolate brown colors, reaching over 10 cm in length with exceptional gemmy transparency. Many pieces show distinctive gray-green phantoms and color zoning from tan cores to red-brown terminations. What distinguishes Villamassargia is its status as Sardinia's premier baryte locality and one of Italy's finest sources for golden-hued crystallized baryte. Most collection material was extracted in the second half of the 1970s when mines on Monte Mesu were active, though sporadic finds continued through the 1990s. The mines have been closed for decades, making authentic Villamassargia baryte with sharp terminations and saturated color increasingly difficult to obtain at the quality that established the locality's reputation.