Many go to mineral exhibitions solely for aesthetic experiences. Undoubtedly, the magical world of colourful, sparkling crystals fascinates people, and many geologists have also entered the professional field because of this. If we ranked the mineral deposits of the Carpathians according to where the most beautiful specimens came from, Cavnic would probably be in the first place. Until the closure of the ore mines here in 2008, an incredible amount of beautiful ore and barren minerals flooded the global market from Cavnic, including the tables of the International Mineral Show of Miskolc, such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, stibnite, bournonite, orpiment, realgar, quartz, calcite, rhodochrosite, baryte, gypsum, scheelite, ferberite, fluorite and more.
In the picture: Rhodochrosite, Cavnic (Romania). Size: 6 cm. Photo by Géza Kulcsár.