Getting My Botryoidal Orpiment Groove On

As some of you may recall I visited Quartzsite, AZ, a year ago on New Year's Eve and Day in my column Quartzsite 2012 - Early Bird Gets The Worm Day One and Day Two . I did it again this year as I shared earlier in Quartzsite 2013 - Early Bird Gets The Worm Again. It was at my visit there last year that I first encountered the gorgeous botryoidal Orpiment with Barite (and sometimes with small amounts of Realgar) we have all by now seen and to which it was "love at first sight" for me. I acquired a piece of it which I shared HERE after having first espied this material in the form of  the piece pictured HERE and HERE and HERE and to which I mightily lusted. This time I picked up two smaller but perhaps finer pieces which I share with you below.  

In Specimen A the Barite almost looks like Calcite. The labeled price on this specimen was $36.

On the bottom of Specimen A is a bit of Realgar. I purchased this specimen at "double keystone" so my cost was $9.

I purchased Specimen B at "double keystone" meaning I paid a mere $4.

These specimens come from Paloma Mine, Castrovirreina Province, Huancavelica Department, Peru

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).