{"product_id":"sphalerite-cluster-with-pyrite-from-trepca-mines-kosovo-34k7","title":"Sphalerite Cluster with Pyrite and Quartz from Trepça Mines, Kosovo","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThis is a natural crystal cluster with sphalerite, pyrite and quartz crystals. This piece is from the famous Trepça Mine complex in the Trepça Valley in Kosovo. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSize: 60 x 38 x 28 mm. 64 grams.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe history of the Trepça Mines traces back the Middle Ages. Modern operations began with the establishment of Trepca Mining and Metallurgical Complex in the 1920s. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter World War II, the communist government nationalized all privately-held companies in Yugoslavia, including Trepca, and turned them into state-owned enterprisers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe mine effectively went out of production as a result of the 1999 Kosovo war with Serbia. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but the future of the Trepča mining complex remained uncertain throughout most of the 2000s and it fell into a state of disrepair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe huge mining complex was put under government control in 2016 to save it from bankruptcy, and mining operations continue today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur supplier obtains the pieces directly from the operating mines.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"OLD EARTH MINERALS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40896569540737,"sku":"15980","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0573\/9433\/1777\/files\/1FB84291-45A0-4DDD-9F5B-8A6C89EBDD44.jpg?v=1788371663","url":"https:\/\/oldearthminerals.com\/products\/sphalerite-cluster-with-pyrite-from-trepca-mines-kosovo-34k7","provider":"OLD EARTH MINERALS","version":"1.0","type":"link"}