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Aside from one re-mining effort at the old San Francisco Mine in the early 1990's, Mexico has not produced any wulfenite of note in quantity in some 20 years. This is bizarre given the abundance of wulfenite in Arizona to the north, but so it has gone. Moreover, the world-famous deposits at Mapimi have never produced anything of note beyond the occasional small pocket of wulfenite (in insignificant specimens, by worldwide standards). Strangely, yet for over 80 years Mapimi has produced among the world's best specimens of adamite, legrandite, arsendescloizite, paradamite, hemimorphite, and any number of other species. WHERE HAS ALL THE WULFENITE BEEN?! It has apparently been on the 6 level of a new vein, which has for the first time found wulfenite in quantity at Mapimi. Not only do we now have Mapimi wulfenite good enough to gain respect worldwide alongside its adamites and legrandites; but we have REALLY NEAT wulfenite in TWO bizarre STYLES of bipyramidal crystallization, which is rare in the species. These are markedly not similar to anything else seen in Arizona or previous Mexican finds, and its jus ttypical of Mapimi to throw out a curve ball like this, as it did with the world's best legrandites and purple adamites over 20 years ago. One style features elongated bipyramidal crystals to 2.2 cm, showing tapered terminations ending in a blunt or multiply pronged tip. The other style looks like Tsumeb mimetite, in classic pointy form and in crystals to 1 cm. I had to have these quickly analyzed at the University of Arizona labs to be sure they were wulfenite and not mimetite...but visually, some look more like mimetite no matter what the XRAYS say. This pocket seems to have consisted of only a few dozen flats of really good specimens amidst much "reference level" locality pieces. About 20 specimens in total are associated with riveting deep green, velvety mimetite. I believe that I have most and perhaps all of what was found, after several weeks of stressfully anticipating more - and finding none to have been mined since this one large pocket a month ago. This is the best thing out of Mapimi since the 1980s! Here I present 5 of the best of the pocket, at what should be considered premium prices due to their overall rarity in quality. Note that MOST specimens are almost as good, and are priced at $1000 or less. These few pieces transcend the average by having slightly better condition, crystal size, translucence; and above all, aesthetics. I can guarantee that a similar quality, just in a less richly decorated matrix or slightly smaller size of crystal, will be available on my return from the show at much lower prices.
MEXW-02 - Wulfenite on Mimetite - € 1149 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico miniature, 5.6 x 2.7 x 2.5 cm
Sharp crystals to 9 mm perched dramatically on contrasting velvety mimetite so green and richly colored, it looks like no other mimetite I have ever seen. Pristine display core, only a few minor broken xls on periphery here.
MEXW-03 - Wulfenite - € 1341 SOLD Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 10.3 x 6.2 x 5.3 cm
A sharp specimen that is very 3-dimensional and leaps out, wonderfully balanced with isolated crystals to 1.7 cm all over the display face. Some damage on the backside, but none to the front. This specimen has among the largest crystals of the find, many of them, and well-displayed
MEXW-05 - Wulfenite on Mimetite - € 2184 SOLD Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico small cabinet, 6.2 x 4.0 x 1.6 cm
Sharp crystals to 1.7 cm perched dramatically on contrasting velvety mimetite so green and richly colored, it looks like no other mimetite I have ever seen. No damage!
MEXW-06 - Wulfenite on Mimetite - € 1877 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico small cabinet, 5.8 x 5.6 x 2.5 cm
Sharp crystals to 9mm perched dramatically on contrasting velvety mimetite so green and richly colored, it looks like no other mimetite I have ever seen. No damage to the display face, with just a few edges around hte periphery contacted.
MEXW-01 - Wulfenite on Mimetite - € 2107 SOLD Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico miniature, 5.5 x 5.2 x 2.6 cm
Sharp crystals to 1 cm perched dramatically on contrasting velvety mimetite so green and richly colored, it looks like no other mimetite I have ever seen. Pristine! with no damage!
MEXW-09 - Wulfenite - € 230 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico small cabinet, 8.3 x 6.8 x 6.2 cm
A rich knoll of matrix just covered with wulfenites to 1 cm, though most are unusually short and squat and around 5 mm size. Beautiful larger specimen with rich coverage for the price.
MEXW-10 - Mimetite with Wulfenite - € 958 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 11.7 x 7.3 x 5.8 cm
This is mostly a mimetite specimen, and as such is among the largest one we got out of the find, with rolling botryoidal green velvety carpets on 3-dimensional matrix, dusted with sharp bipyramidal wulfenites for contrast. Dramatic piece, and an excellent mimetite!
MEXW-11 - Wulfenite on Mimetite - € 958 SOLD Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 11.4 x 8.6 x 6.8 cm
This is mostly a mimetite specimen, and as such is among the largest one we got out of the find, with rolling botryoidal green velvety carpets on a sculptural, 3-dimensional matrix, dusted with sharp bipyramidal wulfenites to 5mm for contrast. Dramatic piece, and an excellent mimetite!
MEXW-12 - Wulfenite - € 1341 SOLD Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 9.3 x 7.3 x 5.0 cm
A really oustanding small cab with sharp, spiky, mimetite-like crystals to 1.2 cm splaying out from this 3-dimensional gossan matrix. It is a very dramatic piece, and the individuality and vertical display of the wulfenites shooting out are very impressive in person. Only trivial damage to a few minor crystals, all major ones being pristine.
MEXW-13 - Wulfenite on Mimetite - € 1609 SOLD Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 11.0 x 7.1 x 4.7 cm
A beautiful large cabinet piece that is among the best and largest combo specimens , with sharp wulfenite crystals to over 1 cm contrasted on the rolling velvety mimetites. Dramatic and large!
MEXW-14 - Wulfenite - € 6513 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 16.8 x 16.0 x 6.6 cm
This piece is one of the largest fine plates we got out in good condition, with literally a hundred or more crystals of which only a very few small and insignificant ones have any damage. The large, thick, robust crystals on this piece are mostly over 1 cm and many are 1.7 cm, doubly-terminated. There must be at least 2 dozen large dt crystals, in fact. The habit here features bipyramidal crystals but with a blocky end-cap termination, very unsual. This speicmen is not only super-rich , with large crystals, but it is overall visually impressive as well. Most larger pieces had too mcuh space on them and need to be trimmed down to be displayable with any eye impact. In person, this is, speaking of impact, quite a bit more impressive!
MEXW-15 - Wulfenite (pseudocubic) on Mimetite - € 1379 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico small cabinet, 8.6 x 4.4 x 3.8 cm
Extremely unusual blocky crystals to 8mm, unusual for wulfenite from this mine and from most other localities...but especially inthis pocket, so radically different from the others. Very aesthetic, as well, due to the contrasting mimetite!
MEXW-16 - Wulfenite - € 4597 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 10.0 x 8.7 x 6.2 cm
A superb, 3-dimensional specimen with sharp crystasl to 1.5 cm all over it, shooting out every which way. This starburst-styled specimen is extremely 3-dimensional and dramatic in person, and has neglegible damage - remarkable for a piece with such exposure in the pocket. It is rated as one of the best rich matrix specimens of this style in the find, and is very dramatic when lit well in a case...like an orange hedgehog.
MEXW-17 - Wulfenite - € 5746 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 12.9 x 8.0 x 5.9 cm
This is perhaps my favorite specimen of the larger pieces, for outright quality of the wulfenite. It features numerous large doubly-terminated crystals to 2 cm , the largest in the pocket that I have seen in good condition. Also, numerous fat, squat crystals approach 6-7 mm thickness. Most crystals on other specimens are slender and needle-like in comparison. These crystals are just more fat, and more dramatic, than others. The rich butterscotch color comes out well because they are translucent. There is almost no damage on this large specimen, just a few insignificant spots. It is a major wulfenite for the habit, visual impact, and for this pocket as well.
MEXW-18 - Wulfenite - € 383 Level 6, San Juan Poniente Vein, Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico cabinet, 13.0 x 9.4 x 5.5 cm
Sharp crystals to 1.5 cm cover this large matrix piece, and it displays them very nicely too. Honestly only minor damage to some crystals is all that keeps this from being double the price, given the size, color, and quality of the majority of the central crystals on it!
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