History · Geology
About Săcărâmb (Nagyág)
Săcărâmb, formerly Nagyág, in Transylvania, Romania, is the type locality for sylvanite — the gold-silver telluride that gave its name to the entire telluride class. The district was one of the world’s premier 18th-19th century gold-telluride sources.
Geology
The deposit is an epithermal Au-Ag-Te vein system in Tertiary subvolcanic intrusions of the Apuseni Mountains. The unusual Au-Ag-Te-Sb chemistry produced an extraordinary tellurium-mineral diversity.
Notable Minerals
Sylvanite (the type species, characteristic graphic “schrift-tellur” runic patterns), calaverite, krennerite, nagyágite, petzite, native gold, pyrite, tetrahedrite, quartz, rhodochrosite. Several rare Au-Ag-Te species have Săcărâmb as their type locality.
Collector Notes
Old Săcărâmb specimens — particularly graphic sylvanite “letters” in matrix — are 18th-century mineralogical heirlooms. Active mining ceased in the late 20th century; supply is fixed.
Minerals Produced Here
- Agate (玛瑙)
- Amethyst (紫水晶)
- Calaverite (碲金矿)
- Chalcedony (玉髓)
- Citrine (黄水晶)
- Gold (Native) (自然金)
- Jasper (碧玉)
- Pyrite (黄铁矿)
- Quartz (石英 / 水晶)
- Rhodochrosite (菱锰矿)
- Rose Quartz (玫瑰石英)
- Sylvanite (碲金银矿)
- Tetrahedrite (黝铜矿)
