Calcite and Sphalerite – Trepça, Kosovo

A specimen featuring a combination of black sphalerite, white calcite, and a few pyrite microcrystals.

The sphalerite crystals are well-formed and exhibit clearly defined faces with a very pronounced metallic luster. Their black color contrasts sharply with the light-colored crystals surrounding them.

The calcite forms a succession of overlapping white petals, giving the specimen abundant crystallization and significant relief.

A few small, metallic-yellow pyrite crystals are visible among the calcite crystals, adding additional flashes of brilliance.

The combination of the three minerals creates a particularly sharp contrast between the white of the calcite, the metallic black of the sphalerite, and the small golden flecks of pyrite.

10.5 × 8 × 6.8 cm

Highlights of this specimen:

- Black, well-formed, and highly lustrous sphalerite crystals
- Abundant calcite crystallization in overlapping petals
- Classic Trepça association

For your information:

- The Trepça mining complex, in northern Kosovo, is a major polymetallic mineralized region. The area’s former mines, notably the Stari Trg mine, are particularly well-known for their sulfide associations: sphalerite, galena, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and other sulfides, often accompanied by calcite, quartz, and rhodochrosite.