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Plumbian Orthoclase is incredibly rare, found exclusively around the outback mining city of Broken Hill. This specimen weighs 74g and measures 7.5cm x 3.5cm x 2.5cm. Quality specimens only become available now as part of old collections as most remaining material is in probate collections.

Broken Hill is a city in the far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia. The town is prominent in Australia's mining, industrial relations and economic history after the discovery of silver, lead, zinc ore led to the opening of various mines, thus establishing Broken Hill's recognition as a prosperous mining town well into the 1990s. Despite experiencing a slowing economic situation into the late 1990s and 2000s, Broken Hill itself was listed on the National Heritage Lost in 2015 and remains Australia's longest running mining town.

The word plumbian means lead-rich, and it's the lead that gives the mineral its famous green appearance. Broken Hill is one of the world's largest lead, zinc, and silver ore deposits and this material is from the North mine and contains small amount of Galena and Quartz.

Despite its attractive shade of green, this lovely lead-rich orthoclase is mostly useful in a specific context. It serves as an indicator mineral, which helps geologists locate and assess the presence of certain ore deposits, such as the unique lead and zinc deposits of Broken Hill.

Galena:-

Galena was named by Pliny the Elder in 77-79 from the Greek word “galene” which means lead ore. It has been mined for its lead and silver content since 3000 BC.

Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulphide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms. It is often associated with the minerals sphalerite, calcite and fluorite. Galena is the main ore of lead, used since ancient times. Because of its somewhat low melting point it was easy to liberate by smelting. It typically forms in low-temperature sedimentary deposits.

In some deposits the galena contains about 1–2% silver, a byproduct that far outweighs the main lead ore in revenue. In these deposits significant amounts of silver occur as included silver self-identifying mineral phases or as limited silver in solid solution within the galena structure.

One of the oldest reported uses of galena was in the eye cosmetic kohl. In Ancient Egypt, this was applied around the eyes to reduce the glare of the desert sun and to repel flies, which were a potential source of disease. Galena is also the primary ore of lead, and is often mined for its silver content, such as at the Galena Mine in northern Idaho.

Galena is a stone of harmony and self transformation and is effective when embarking on a personal spiritual journey.  Galena is a powerful grounding stone. Its energy lends the courage to face and embrace the deepest and most feared regions of ones own soul. Galena can lend a sense of strength, courage and the ability to face difficult tasks.

Galena may assist you in reclaiming your power and encourages tolerance, peace and the healing of spirit. Galena brings healing, calmness, efficiency, receptivity, communication and insight. Galena has been traditionally used as an aid for shamanic journeys and in magical practises as a stone of protection and power. It allows one to maintain connection with the Divine, even while in the darkest places. Galenas energy helps to counter radiation, electromagnetic pollution and other forms of environmental energy. It is an excellent stone to use when spending long hours on the computer. Galena grounds and centres our energies and allows the pathway between the physical and etheric bodies to align. It is a stone of harmony, stimulating interaction on all levels and assists us in the decrease of self-limiting ideas.