Antimonial Silver

This mineral, which nearly resembles Native Silver in general appearance, may be distinguished by its laminated fracture and brittleness. It occurs either in granular masses or prismatic crystals; the crystals are either regularly six-sided, rhomboidal, or rectangular, with their sides deeply striated; sometimes the prism is terminated by a diedral summit with smooth faces. When heated upon Charcoal, the Antimony is volatilized, leaving the Silver. It is of rare occurrence, the matrix is Carbonate of Lime or Sulphate of Barytes, and is generally accompanied by Galæna, Native Silver, and Blend.

Our figures were taken at the British Museum: in the upper one the Antimonial Silver is surrounded by foliated Native Arsenic, it is in rhomboidal crystals with diedral summits, the matrix is Carbonate of Lime. The other specimen is in rectangular deeply furrowed prisms, also penetrating Carbonate of Lime, it is from Wolfack in the principality of Fürstenbcrg. This mineral has also been found in the Harz and Spain.

Spec. Grav. according to Hauy is 9.4406, or according to Selb it is 10.000.