Ilvaite

specimen number:
2063091

location:
Campiglia Marittima, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy

description:
Semi lustrous black crystals of ilvaite to 0.5 cm in size scattered nicely across the front of matrix. In good condition. Nice locality thumbnail specimen for the species.

Campiglia Marittima in Tuscany features a complex geology defined by late Miocene granitic intrusions interacting with carbonate host rocks, creating rich skarn orebodies that have been mined since Etruscan and Roman times for iron, copper, lead, and silver. Within these historic underground workings, such as the Temperino mine, hydrothermal processes formed distinctive calc-silicate mineral assemblages. This environment produces notable specimens of ilvaite, a striking black sorosilicate mineral that occurs as prismatic crystals and banded aggregates within skarn pockets, making the area a renowned site for both historical mining heritage and mineral collecting.

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