Specifications
Descrizione
Locality: Daye Mine, Huangshi, Hubei Province, China
Mining in the district is very old. At the nearby Tonglüshan ancient copper mine, archaeologists have excavated hundreds of shafts and tunnels, along with smelting furnaces and about 400,000 tonnes of slag. The mine was worked from the late Shang dynasty through the Western Han dynasty.
The Daye area, near Huangshi in southeastern Hubei Province, lies in the Edong mining district at the western end of China's Middle-Lower Yangtze River metal belt. Its copper and iron ores are skarn deposits, formed where hot fluids from intruding magma reacted with limestone. At the Tonglüshan deposit, for example, the ore lies along the contact between a quartz diorite body about 140 million years old and the marine limestones of the Lower Triassic Daye Formation.
A 2011 study of the Tonglüshan skarn deposit traced how its minerals formed in stages. Copper sulfides, including chalcopyrite, came out of fluids at about 240 to 350 °C. Carbonate veins formed later still, from cooler, less salty fluids at about 174 to 284 °C, which were probably partly mixed with groundwater.
This one of a kind Mercedes Calcite with Chalcopyrite mineral specimen from Hubei, China features a broad, sculptural formation of translucent cream to pale champagne calcite crystals with bold, dark chalcopyrite striping across the crystal faces. The specimen has a flatter, sweeping profile with layered calcite growth, stepped faces, and sharply defined black linear markings that create the recognizable “Mercedes” pattern. Its soft honey-white colour, glassy lustre, and dramatic natural striping make it a striking display piece from both the front and underside.
Mercedes Calcite, also known by collectors as Benz Calcite, is a distinctive variety of calcite named for the dark spoke-like or parallel markings that resemble the Mercedes-Benz emblem. These specimens are strongly associated with Hubei Province, China, particularly the Daye County and Huangshi mining region, where calcite commonly occurs with sulfide minerals such as chalcopyrite. The combination of translucent calcite and dark metallic mineral inclusions gives these specimens their highly collectible patterned appearance.
Spiritually, calcite is often associated with clarity, cleansing, emotional balance, and gentle energy amplification. Chalcopyrite is commonly linked with creativity, confidence, insight, and transformation. Together, this mineral pairing is often appreciated as a supportive stone for focus, optimism, and moving stagnant energy into a more balanced flow.
Chemical Composition: Chalcopyrite: CuFeS2, Calcite: CaCO3
Quantity: 1pc
With this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph.