WULFENITE WITH MIMETITE

ABOUT THE SPECIMEN

In regards to wulfenite from Los Lamentos, bipyramidal crystals are very rare in comparison to their more common blocky, tabular counterparts, and usually date back to finds in the 1960's and 70's. This right here is an outstanding and important example, with elongated bipyramids reaching almost 3(!) cm in length and showing curved growth through the sculptural assemblage. They exhibit a deep burnt orange color, and are also nicely accented with patches of yellow-green mimetite. Not only is it an important specimen, it has the aesthetics to match. Formerly in the hands of Jean Hamel, who was responsible for many Los Lamentos specimens hitting the market in the late 20th century, and was very selective with pieces he chose for his own collection.

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The Los Lamentos deposit consists of a manto-form lead-zinc ore body in Lower Cretaceous reefal limestone, formed through hydrothermal replacement along fractured zones. The wulfenite crystallized through secondary enrichment processes near the water table, concentrating molybdenum from oxidizing galena. Specimens display thick tabular crystals in burnt orange to caramel colors, reaching up to 1.1 cm on edge, characteristically perched on white sparkly calcite matrix. The classic "sandwich" habit - showing color zoning from core to rim - is particularly distinctive. Bipyramidal and doubly-terminated crystals also occur, though these are exceptionally rare compared to the typical tabular forms, with most recovered during the 1950s-1960s. What makes Los Lamentos historically significant is its status as one of Mexico's two most prolific wulfenite producers, with tens of thousands of specimens reaching collectors since the 1940s following Foshag's 1934 Economic Geology article. The best stopes containing gem-quality wulfenite remain flooded below the 500-foot level. The mine has been owned by the Licona family since the mid-20th century, with periodic specimen mining continuing.