NATIVE SULFUR

ABOUT THE SPECIMEN

Solid mass of well-formed, lemon yellow sulfur crystals from the famous finds in Agrigento. With only minor celestine lining a few crevices, this is essentially pure sulfur, and it really pops with its visuals. There are some areas around the edges where shedding occurred, though the specimen is largely in good condition.

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Sicily's sulfur deposits formed through bacterial sulfate reduction of Messinian evaporites deposited during the Mediterranean Salinity Crisis, 5.97-5.33 Ma. Cozzo Disi produced what many consider the finest crystallized sulfur ever recovered - dipyramidal crystals in canary to lemon-yellow colors reaching up to 5 cm, typically on white calcite or aragonite matrix. Specimens display exceptional gemmy transparency with resinous to adamantine luster, often containing distinctive black bitumen inclusions from organic-rich fluids present during crystallization. What distinguishes Cozzo Disi globally is the combination of crystal size, perfection, and optical quality unmatched by other localities including Poland's Machów or Bolivia's El Desierto mines. The sulfur crystallized epigenetically during diagenesis when meteoric waters dissolved gypsum, providing sulfate for microbial reduction in the presence of crude oil and methane. Most specimens date from mining operations in the 1860s-early 1900s, with later material from 1950s-1970s workings showing different morphological styles. The mine closed decades ago, and sulfur's fragility means only carefully preserved old-time specimens survive in quality, making authentic Cozzo Disi material increasingly scarce and highly prized.