Bixbyite , ex Charlie Key Coll (large crystal)

Item Description

This is a very good example of Bixbyite on massive Bixbyite from the Kalahari Manganese Field of South Africa. Most people are not aware that crystals of this mienral get so large, and these examples from a one-pocket find in teh Kalahari are the most lustrous and beautiful from these manganese deposits. Despite that, they are rare. This came in a group from the Charlie Key collection, many years ago. In the center of the piece is a large black, lustrous, complex and somewhat crude cubic crystal of Bixbyite that displays abundant stepped growth patterns and it is intergrown with other smaller Bixbyite crystals. These Bixbyites are accented by a minor amount of white Calcite. The crystalline Bixbyite grades into cleavable massive Bixbyite. Bixbyite is a trivalent manganese oxide. The main crystal is 1.3 cm across. Valued $500-750