Home > Type Localities – March 17 > MS1533 Cornetite
Cornetite - Sold
- L'Étoile du Congo mine
- (The Star of the Congo mine)
- Lubumbashi
- Haut-Katanga Province
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 6.9 by 6.5 by 2.7 cm – Small cabinet specimen (under 10 cm)
Cornetite is a hydrous copper phosphate. Cesáro (1910) originally noted the mineral at L'Étoile du Congo. However the species remained unnamed until Buttgenbach (1916) named the mineral after Jules Cornet (1865-1929). A later study by Berry (1950) further describes the history of its discovery.
Cornetite here crystallized on a fracture surface of sandstone matrix, as bladed crystals to 6 mm across. Specimens of cornetite like this were distinctive and generally available through the 1990s. A dealer label from Gilbert Gauthier (1924-2006) accompanies the specimen.