Cinnabar

specimen number:
1052247

location:
New Almaden, Santa Clara Co., California, USA

description:
Mining at New Almaden, near San Jose, California, began in 1845 after cinnabar deposits were recognized in the area, though Native Americans had used the red mercury ore long before European discovery. Under Mexican and later American ownership, the New Almaden Mine became one of the most important mercury producers in the world during the mid to late 19th century, supplying mercury essential for gold and silver amalgamation during the California Gold Rush. The district operated intermittently into the 20th century, with periods of renewed production during times of high mercury demand, before finally closing in the 1970s; today the area is preserved as Almaden Quicksilver County Park and is recognized as a historic mining site. This is a superbly crystallized example collected in the late 19th century. The crystals are lustrous and a beautiful deep red color covering the top of matrix. There is slight micro-damage present as seen, this still very fine for the locality. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video.

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