Amesite (Chromian)

Item Description

In the 1990s a small amount of fine quality beautiful Amesite specimens were found at the Saranovskii Mine in Russia. These pieces has a distinctive purple color caused by chromium content. Amesite is a rare magnesium kaolinite-serpentine group silicate mineral found in low-grade metamorphic rocks, and typically they are colorless or have a light tan / beige hue. The Russian specimens are the most intensely colored Amesites in the world. This piece is filled with dozens of sharp, lustrous, rather gemmy, thin triclinic prisms of Amesite measuring up to 1.2 cm long filling a seam in grey Chromite matrix. The color is incredibly rich and eye-catching. This piece stands out from most I've seen from Saranovskii as the crystals are elongated and not "flat" plates. The vast majority of the central crystals are terminated and pristine, but you have to forgive the contacted crystals along the periphery where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. An eye-catching and excellent quality example of this wonderful material. If you eliminate Amethyst, purple is a fairly rare color in the mineral world, and this particular shade of purple is especially desirable. The piece comes with an old Cal Graeber label priced at $750, but I could easily see it priced higher in today's market.