Allanite Group

Item Description

This piece came from a discovery in April of 2001, and at the time, they were identified as Allanite-(La), which were considered some of the finest of the species ever seen. Subsequent analysis showed that these crystals contain zones where multiple species are present, including La-dominant Allanite, Ce-dominant Allanite, and REE-bearing Epidote. With that said, these specimens are now listed simply as being part of the Allanite Group as they cannot be isolated as single species. With that said, this is still an impressive example featuring superb, very lustrous, jet-black, prismatic crystals measuring up to 1.6 cm long, sitting on matrix. Most of the crystals are in very good condition, but some contacts / imperfections can be seen in certain areas. These were found for a brief time and never again, so if you missed out on them years ago, now is a great time to get your hands on a good example of this hard to find material.
From the collection of Raúl Sanabria Orellana.