Sulfur Cianciana Mines, Cianciana, Agrigento Province, Sicily, Italy...
Sulfur Cianciana Mines, Cianciana, Agrigento Province, Sicily, Italy "A miniature size specimen with a 1 inch well formed gemmy sulfur crystal perched up on a bit of matrix. Traded the specimen from the George Vaux collection at Bryn Mawr college when Harold Arndt was curator." - Rock H. Currier There was a time when mineral specimens, even exceptional ones were considered, well ... rocks (!), with values to match. Artisanal style mining during the period was the order of the day and big haulage trucks and power equipment had yet to be invented. Miners literally worked in, and with, the ore they were extracting. No one gave a thought to the idea that mining would someday morph into giant earth-moving projects with daily production measured in the thousands of tons. Sulfur was one of the products that used to be mined by hand, under hellish conditions, particularly in the underground mines of Sicily. The Frasch Process of sulfur production, forcing superheated water down boreholes in oil-bearing deposits, put an end to Sicily's Sulfur mining. When Sulfur is melted and then blown out of underground wells, it does not show up as the beautiful crystals we see here. There is a custom acrylic stand and the original Vaux label. Overall Measurements: 2.0 x 1.6 x 1.0 inches (5.0 x 4.0 x 2.5 cm) Offered at no reserve Provenance: Ex. Bryn Mawr College, Ex. George Vaux Collections [RHC #1560, acquired 1971] MinID RX3-AKW [Scale: 1 inch, with mark at 1 cm]
HID09710052018
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Sulfur Cianciana Mines, Cianciana, Agrigento Province, Sicily, Italy "A miniature size specimen with a 1 inch well formed gemmy sulfur crystal perched up on a bit of matrix. Traded the specimen from the George Vaux collection at Bryn Mawr college when Harold Arndt was curator." - Rock H. Currier There was a time when mineral specimens, even exceptional ones were considered, well ... rocks (!), with values to match. Artisanal style mining during the period was the order of the day and big haulage trucks and power equipment had yet to be invented. Miners literally worked in, and with, the ore they were extracting. No one gave a thought to the idea that mining would someday morph into giant earth-moving projects with daily production measured in the thousands of tons. Sulfur was one of the products that used to be mined by hand, under hellish conditions, particularly in the underground mines of Sicily. The Frasch Process of sulfur production, forcing superheated water down boreholes in oil-bearing deposits, put an end to Sicily's Sulfur mining. When Sulfur is melted and then blown out of underground wells, it does not show up as the beautiful crystals we see here. There is a custom acrylic stand and the original Vaux label. Overall Measurements: 2.0 x 1.6 x 1.0 inches (5.0 x 4.0 x 2.5 cm) Offered at no reserve Provenance: Ex. Bryn Mawr College, Ex. George Vaux Collections [RHC #1560, acquired 1971] MinID RX3-AKW [Scale: 1 inch, with mark at 1 cm]
HID09710052018
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
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