Brookite on Calcite (rare locality specimen) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

A VERY hard to find Brookite from the lesser known Schinschlucht (Schin Gorge) in the near the village of Thusis in Switzerland. This is the first specimen of Brookite that we've had to offer from this locality. Typically European Alpine Brookite crystals are small (under 1 cm), but they are highly coveted by collectors for the rarity and beauty. This piece features a fine, sharp, very thin, tabular Brookite crystal measuring 6 mm associated with compressed rhombohedra of silvery colored Calcite on matrix. The exterior of the Brookite is essentially black, probably from a secondary oxidation. A few smaller Brookites can be seen on the piece for a nice touch. No real damage that I can see with the naked eye, and a must have locality specimen for any fan of Alpine material! Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#9765). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).