Bastnäsite-(Ce)

Item Description

Bastnäsite is actually a group featuring several specific REE species, but the most well-known species is Bastnäsite-(Ce). Typically this mineral forms is fairly very thin blades, best known for the famous Trimouns Quarry in France. In the late 1990s, excellent crystals from Zagi Mountain, Pakistan started popping up, and the best examples have simply redefined the species for size and quality of crystals. They are notably THICKER than their French counterparts, and sometimes are notably gemmy to boot. This specimen is a sharp, lustrous, well-formed, rich golden-brown fairly thick, hexagonal crystal of Bastnäsite-(Ce) free of matrix. A rich warm hue can be seen when the piece is backlit, but it's not quite gem quality. No major damage, but there are some small imperfections, so the piece is not 100% pristine. It seems as though this locality has produced less and less of these outstanding specimens over the last few years, and if you don't have one in your collection, just keep in mind that these crystals are superb for what they are, and worth picking up.