Crystalline gold

The leadville mining district is described in "Colorado Gold", an article by Ed Raines,
and in 'Rocks and Minerals' magazine, Volume 72 September, 1997.
  "Leadville District:  3,250,000 ounces (of gold).  Gold occurs in quartz-pyrite veins,
in disseminated mineralization in the porphyritic rocks of the stocks, and in replacement
mantos along with zinc, lead, and silver ores.  More than one hundred quartz-pyrite-gold
veins are known  in the Breece Hill area.  Most gold occurs as microscopic particles, but
in the gold-rich areas of the stocks, gold flakes, leaves, wires, and spongy masses
have been found (Emmons, Irving, and Loughlin 1927; Behre 1953; Thompson and Arehart
1990).

  Ibex mine (including the Little Jonny, Uncle Sam, Little Stella, and other mines). 
Ibex is, by far, the district's best-known soiurce of fine gold specimens.  Immons,
Irving, and Loughlin (1927) mention that gold specimens were especially abundant in
small seams within the oxidized ores of the third level, where sixteen sacks of ore
were bagged with at least 50 percent gold.  A specimen that is probably from this
location consists of a honeycombed quartz seam partially covered with crusts of
limonite after pyrite.  Very fine flattened wires and nests of wires are scattered
all over one surface of the seam.  The wires are quite small, measuring .1 to .2 mm
across by 1-3 mm in length.

  These researchers also comment on gold found in the primary sulfide ores of the
sixth level.  This deeper location was the source of several specimens displayed in
the Ibex Company's office.  On one specimen, sphalerite crystals were partially
coated by "films" of gold.  The other specimen consisted of both sphalerite and pyrite
crystals on a quartz seam that was shot through with small vugs containing gold wires
and leaves.

  A 5.5-ounce Ibex specimen at the Denver Museum of Natural History (#11203) consists
of intergrown wires up to 5 cm in length.  The author has observed wires up to 8.5 cm
long. Spongy crystalline masses of wires and flakes up to 8 cm across have also been
observed."

  Another article on the Leadville district, "The mines and minerals of Leadville",
written by John M. Shannon and Geraldine C. Shannon, in the 'Mineralogical Record',
Volume 16, May-June, 1985, has some relevance. 

  "During Campion's days, miners found the 'golden stairs' and 'millionaire's chamber'
on the third level between Numbers 1 and 2 shafts of the Ibex (Number 1 was the Little
Jonny). The stairs, a steep fault, had wire and sheet gold; the chamber, a cave, was
similarly inlaid.  'It (the gold) could be pried off with a chisel or screwdriver,'
said one observer" (Gilfillan, 1964).

Crystalline gold . . .

is the rarest and most beautiful form of gold and California Crystalline gold is especially valued by collectors all over the world because of its bright color and unique shapes.

To view some of our crystalline gold offerings just click on the links below:

 ;