Judging quality
Look for straight, undamaged blades with untarnished mirror lustre and intact terminations. Stibnite bends permanently under slight pressure, so perfect large sprays are extraordinarily rare.
Sulfide
Stibnite
Long steel-grey blades with a brilliant metallic lustre, growing in dramatic radiating sprays. Chinese specimens from Wuning are among the most spectacular mineral objects ever mined.
Care
Soft as a fingernail and toxic (antimony). Handle minimally with clean hands and never wash.
History & lore
Ground stibnite was the kohl of ancient Egypt, used as eye paint for over four thousand years.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Stibnite
- What is Stibnite?
- Long steel-grey blades with a brilliant metallic lustre, growing in dramatic radiating sprays. Chinese specimens from Wuning are among the most spectacular mineral objects ever mined.
- How hard is Stibnite and what is it made of?
- Stibnite is a Sulfide-family mineral with the composition Sb2S3. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and rates 2 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in steel grey.
- Where does Stibnite come from?
- Notable localities for Stibnite include China (Wuning), Romania, Japan, Bolivia.
- How do you tell good Stibnite from filler?
- Look for straight, undamaged blades with untarnished mirror lustre and intact terminations. Stibnite bends permanently under slight pressure, so perfect large sprays are extraordinarily rare.
- How do you care for Stibnite?
- Soft as a fingernail and toxic (antimony). Handle minimally with clean hands and never wash.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.