Sphalerite and Halite   Level 3,990, Ruby Ridge, Empire State Mine, Balmat, St. Lawrence County, New York.  Collected April 21, 2023.  This is an example of the amazing sphalerites first shown at the Dallas show in May of this year.  They are similar in luster to the new material found last year but lack the red cores and are a much brighter yellow color.  I don’t believe I am reaching when I say that these sphalerite crystals are among the finest known.  The combination of vibrant color, excellent transparency, and unusually high luster allow them to stand up well when compared to the finest from anywhere sphalerite is known.
This piece has a rare combination including a well-defined halite cube, which in almost all cases gets dissolved off of specimens by the miners, and fine yellow gemmy sphalerite.  The top part of the specimen is damage-free but the lower region shows contact from other crystals, as seen. This fine example measures 5 x 4.1 x 2.7 cm with sphalerites to well over a cm and a transparent halite measuring 2 cm on edge.  $600