This is fine old-time classic Siderite on Quartz specimen from the famous Virtuous Lady mine near Tavistock in Devon. Miniature in size, this palm-sized piece features a bed of cream coloured unusually curved (missing most of their true prism faces) Quartz crystals overgrowing a core of massive Chalcopyrite. Upon the Quartz crystals are fairly evenly dispersed brown, slightly resinous, lenticular crystals of Siderite with a couple of larger stacked platy Siderite crystal aggregates. This form of Siderite crystal is very typical of the mines around Tavistock in Devon, and pasted to the back of the specimen is an old (probably later 19th century) typed label detailing "Spathose Iron // near Tavistock // Devonshire". This most likely comes from the Virtuous Lady mine, which was the most famous mine in the Tavistock area. Ex Malcolm Southwood Collection, no. MS 2013.011.
