Minerals of Romania, Maramures County – by Dan Mira

Maramures (pronounced Maramuresh) is a Romanian county in northern Transilvania, near the border with the modern Ukraine, with a rich mining history. The first records and archeological finds prove mining activities existed in this region before Dacia (the country name before the Roman conquest) was conquered by the Romans. A lot of gold and silver artifacts showing the same characteristics as the ones discovered locally were discovered in other parts of Dacia, proving the quality of the artifacts crafted locally was known and appreciated in a wide area. Gold, silver, lead and zinc were commonly extracted from the area. Manganese and barium were also mentioned since the 1300s. High quality specimens from the area filled collections and European museums since late 19th century, however, the two world wars and the following 50 years of communist regime kept the specimens outside of the reach of collectors (especially in US). The mines that are most familiar to collectors are located in relatively small area around Baia Mare (the Maramures county seat): Cavnic, Baia Sprie, Baiut, Herja and Rosia Poieni. Most sought after specimens include rhodochrosite, barite, black-and-white calcite spheres and stibnite.