Baryte (Barite) – Malines, Gard, France | Ref. 111

Specimen overview

This baryte from Les Malines, Gard, France, forms a substantial rounded aggregate composed of numerous fine, tabular white to cream-coloured crystals. Their dense, intergrown arrangement gives the specimen its distinctive ball-like appearance, clearly visible from the different sides.

Crystallisation covers a large part of the specimen, with the crystals showing varied orientations across the surface. The baryte is displayed on an acrylic base, allowing its volume and crystal structure to be appreciated more easily.

Provenance

This baryte comes from the Les Malines mining district in Gard, France, an area well known among mineral collectors for its baryte specimens. Les Malines is a former mining district in the Saint-Laurent-le-Minier area, historically worked notably for lead and zinc.

This specimen comes from an old collection dating from the 1980s.

Dimensions and presentation

Stone dimensions: 84 × 47 × 78 mm
Weight: 708 g
Presentation: displayed on an acrylic base