Sussexite

“Bird’s-eye” sussexite with pyrochroite and zincite, from the South limb of the North Orebody at Sterling Hill. This is visually notable for contorted parallel layers of lavender sussexite, and black pyrochroite with white-to-cream calcite, with films and veinlets of orange-red zincite. Calcite-veined, franklinite-rich ore is visible in the lower right corner. This unusually esthetic specimen is from the Steinmetz collection, bought and dispersed by the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in the late 1990s. “Steiny” was a Sterling Hill miner who after retiring owned a liquor store on Route 517 in the middle of Ogdensburg. His collection was on display in a room behind the store’s salesroom and was famous for the best tennantite crystals found at Sterling Hill. He was proud of his minerals, and of putting his son through MIT. “Steiny” had worked at Sterling Hill for Al Smith and other legendary bosses, had a keen eye, and collected his suite of North Orebody material early during its mining. This specimen is now in the collection of Richard C. Bostwick.

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