Native Gold on Quartz
Belshazzar Mine, Quartzburg Mining District, Boise County, Idaho, USA
This rare gold specimen is an outstanding example from a historical gold mine locality and not many specimen are available for acquisition. The matrix contains several pockets of lustrous arsenopyrite and pyrite which still contain some gold traces. The snow white quartz matrix exhibits areas of pocket crystals with its top portion containing a network of crystallized wire gold crystals. The gold crystals have great luster with smaller wire gold crystals intricately formed next to larger wire gold crystals. Nearly every native gold crystal are three dimensional short but thick wires clustered closely together. The reverse side contains not visible gold but small coating made up of numerous small druzy crystals and small crevices of pyrite crystals. The name Belshazzar was given to the prince of the last king of the Babylonian Empire which is a significant association to the name of this mine.
23 x 22 x 21 mm
10.15 grams