Large Double-Terminated Optical Yellow Calcite Twin from Shimen Mine, Hunan, China

The Jiepaiyu Mine, or better known as the Shimen mine, is mostly famous for its exceptionally large and well-defined realgar crystals in association with orpiment and yellow calcite. The mine has been closed for many years now. Specimens from this locality are highly sought-after by collectors.

This is a great example of twinned calcite crystals from the Shimen mine. It features a large twin of optical scalenohedral calcite crystals that looks a lot like those from the Elmwood mine in Tennessee, USA. There are nicks here and there on the edges.