Nadorite

specimen number:
2262155

location:
Nador N'Bails Mine, Djebel Nador, Guelma, Algeria

description:

A superb example for the species, especially from this famous Swedish locality. Bladed rich crystals of nadorite are mostly covering the top side of matrix. In good condition. The specimen comes with a previous data card and dealer label with an original acquisition date of 1972. Note that these labels give the locality in Sweden.  This is certainly a good example from the type locality for the species in Algeria.

The Nador N'Bails mine, situated near the city of Guelma in northeastern Algeria, is the type locality for the rare mineral nadorite. Geologically, the deposit is a hydrothermal replacement system where antimony and lead-bearing fluids reacted with Cretaceous limestone and marl, forming a suite of secondary minerals in the oxidized zone. Nadorite, a lead antimony oxychloride, occurs here as distinct brown, flattened orthorhombic crystals, typically found in a matrix of earthy iron oxides or smithsonite. Historically, the mine began operations in the mid-19th century, with formal extraction by French companies starting around 1852 to target rich veins of zinc and antimony ore. Industrial-scale mining and quarrying were most productive between the late 1800s and the early 20th century, though intermittent small-scale activity continued until the site was largely abandoned in the mid-1900s.

Lawrence Conklin was a world-renowned mineral dealer based in New York City, widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and sophisticated figures in the history of the mineral trade. Operating from his office on 5th Avenue and later from his home in Connecticut, Conklin specialized in "antique" minerals and specimens with significant historical provenance. He was a meticulous researcher and an elegant writer, often publishing articles that corrected historical errors in mineralogical literature. His career spanned over five decades, during which he handled some of the finest known specimens from classic European and American localities, setting a high standard for aesthetic quality and documentation in the field.

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