Empressite Locality: Joe Mine (Joe shaft), Tombstone District, Tombstone Hills, Cochise County, Arizona, USA Dimensions: 3.9 cm x 2.9 cm x 2.2 cm Empressite is a very rare Ag-Te and is very rare from this obscure mine from the famous Tombstone District. Small clusters and microcrystals of flashy bronze empressite are scattered on all sides of the quartz-rich matrix on this rare telluride species. From a major rarities collection. — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Empressite
A rare gray orthorhombic silver telluride occurring in compact masses and small bipyramidal crystals.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Empressite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the sulfide class, with the chemical formula AgTe.
It crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system (space group P6/mmm).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 3.5; specific gravity 7.61; Gray-black to black streak; Metallic luster.
IMA symbol Eps, IMA status: approved, named in 1914.
Found in low-temperature gold-poor hydrothermal vein deposits.
It is found associated with Tellurium, sylvanite, petzite, hessite, rickardite, altaite, galena (Empress Josephine mine, Colorado, USA); pyrite, rodalquilarite (Tombstone, Arizona, USA).
The name refers to the Empress Josephine mine, Colorado, USA.