Braunite with Andradite (ex David Burgess and Bruce Cairncross Collections)

Item Description

Braunite is an uncommon manganese silicate named in the 1800s after Wilhelm von Braun, who actually supplied the first material for analysis. When it comes to crystallized specimens, some of the best examples ever found are those from the N'Chwaning Mines in South Africa. This small cabinet sized specimen features a rich coverage of sharp, lustrous, dark grey-black colored blocky and tapered/prismatic tetragonal crystals measuring up to about 5 mm associated with reddish Andradite Garnet on matrix. Many of the Braunite smaller crystals are completely undamaged, but some are contacted. The quality is very good for the species, as the luster and incredibly well-formed crystals are rarely seen like this, regardless of size. This piece comes from the worldwide collection of David Burgess (1951-2016). David was a prolific species collector from Newington, Connecticut, and the namesake for the extremely rare cobalt arsenate species Burgessite, which he discovered. The piece is accompanied by a label from noted rarities dealer Josef Vajdak, along with a hand-written label from the collection of South African mineral expert and Professor of Geology at the University of Johannesburg, Bruce Cairncross.