Specifications
Description
Locality: Mibladen mining district, Midelt Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco
Barite commonly forms well-shaped crystals, with more than 70 crystal forms recorded, usually as thin to thick tablets or prisms, and sometimes as crested or rosette-like clusters. It can be colourless, white, yellow, brown, grey or pale red, green or blue, and is often colour-zoned. It typically grows in low-temperature hydrothermal veins.
Mibladen lies about 25 km northeast of the town of Midelt, between Morocco's High Atlas and Middle Atlas mountains. Its deposit of barite and lead ore sits in Jurassic (Liassic) limestones and dolomites. Lead deposits there were first reported in 1907, and the Société des Mines d'Aouli worked the area from 1926.
After the industrial lead mines closed, between about 1976 and 1980 depending on the account, former miners turned to digging mineral specimens. Today miners around Mibladen still search for barite, as well as vanadinite and cerussite, and sell them through dealers in Midelt.
This one-of-a-kind black barite mineral specimen from Morocco features a dense cluster of dark smoky-grey to nearly black barite crystals with a bold, architectural form. The crystals show sharp tabular to bladed habits, with broad flat faces, stepped edges, and angular terminations that create strong visual depth. Some crystals are nearly opaque black, while others show translucent smoky, brown, amber, or grey zones when viewed along the edges. The underside and matrix areas show lighter tan, honey, and iron-stained tones, adding contrast to the darker crystal cluster.
The chronicle of barite spans over four centuries, beginning with its discovery as a phosphorescent curiosity in Renaissance Italy and culminating in its current status as a coveted collector stone. A striking variety of barite, this barium sulfate mineral has been valued for its weight, luster, and distinctive crystal formations. While barite occurs in many colors, black specimens are especially admired for their dramatic appearance, often forming in bladed, tabular, or clustered crystal habits with deep charcoal to jet-black tones. These darker colors are caused by natural inclusions within the mineral as it forms.
Spiritually, barite is often associated with clarity, alignment, spiritual connection, and grounding through higher awareness. Black or smoky barite is especially appealing to collectors who like darker protective-looking minerals, and it is often viewed as a stone for focus, energetic clearing, and staying centered during inner work.
Chemical Composition: BaSO4
Quantity: 1pc
With this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph.