Stibnite from Herja Mine, Romania – Fan-Shaped Crystal Group

Stibnite specimen from the Herja Mine in Romania, featuring a slender, fan-shaped group of metallic crystals. The elongated gray stibnite crystals form an upright aggregate with differently developed crystal faces. A characteristic collector’s specimen from a historic mining district in the Maramureș region.

Stibnite with a Fan-Shaped Crystal Arrangement from Herja Mine

This stibnite specimen comes from the Herja Mine in Maramureș County, Romania, a classic mineral locality within the historic Baia Mare mining district. The specimen consists of a slender, upright crystal group with numerous elongated, closely intergrown stibnite crystals.

Its most striking feature is the fan-shaped arrangement of the crystals, which spreads upward from a narrower lower section. The individual crystals display silvery-gray to dark gray tones and a metallic luster that varies in intensity depending on the lighting. Some elongated crystal faces run almost parallel to one another, while others are slightly inclined.

The crystal group has a distinctly three-dimensional structure, with crystals of varying lengths and partly irregular terminations. Minor damage and incompletely developed crystal terminations may be present in certain areas. The main appeal of this specimen lies less in the perfect development of any individual crystal than in the characteristic arrangement of the entire stibnite aggregate.

The Herja Mine is one of Romania’s well-known classic mineral localities. In addition to stibnite, the mining district is particularly renowned for its diverse hydrothermal sulfide and sulfosalt mineralization.

Measuring 7.5 × 3 × 2 cm, this compact collector’s specimen provides an illustrative example of the characteristic elongated crystal habit of stibnite.