Think Cornish Calcite, think Wheal Wrey. This remarkable mine produced an iconic form of crystallized Calcite during the 1860s, made more memorable for the usual scarcity of Calcite in Cornwall. Many of these specimens were marketed by the Liskeard-based mineral dealer Richard Talling, made famous by his role in selling Bournonite and Tetrahedrite from Herodsfoot mine. This stunning Wheal Wrey cabinet specimen illustrates perfectly the statement made by Peter Embrey and Robert Symes in their 1987 book on the Minerals of Cornwall and Devon that Calcite from Wheal Wrey mine illustrates, "a general rule, that twinned crystals tend to be larger than accompanying crystals of the same mineral". This specimen does indeed feature hundreds of thin prismatic Calcite crystals amongst which are six or seven robust, blocky prismatic crystals of Calcite, all twinned. Their form is classic Wheal Wrey, with five or six sided prisms with flat pinnacoid terminations, the crystals reaching over 2 cm in length and 1.8 cm wide. For its age, most of these crystals are in excellent condition. The matrix of the specimen is a layer of Quartz casts, or epimorphs, after a long gone mineral, with Calcite crystals growing from the surface and spanning the resultant cavities. Minor small Pyrite crystals sit on some of the matrix. The Calcite exhibits an attractive orange-pink fluorescence under both Long Wave and Short Wave UV light. Specimens of Wheal Wrey Calcite are one of the most recognisable of Cornish minerals and this one is a superb example for display, with all of the classic features one would expect.
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