Braunite-II (RARE)

Item Description

An incredibly hard to find specimen of Braunite-II (not to be confused with Braunite) from the N'Chwaning II Mine in South Africa. The entry on mindat.org for Braunite-II states that it is, "valid as an unnamed mineral", and it's just slightly chemically different from Braunite in the fact that Braunite is a tetragonal manganese silicate, but Braunite-II also contains calcium. Braunite-II has only been found in FOUR mines on Earth, and the best pieces are those from the N'Chwaning II Mine. This piece is an attractive small cabinet featuring a good number of rather lustrous, jet-black, prismatic crystals showing defined striations measuring up to about 6 mm, associated with minor Calcite on host rock matrix. Most of the crystals are in good shape, and we've photographed them with a close-up lens to better illustrate the quality. A fantastic rarity for any fan of minerals of the Kalahari Manganese Field.
Ex Colin Manlove collection.