Bultfonteinite (very rare)

Item Description

A classic small cabinet sized specimen of the rare hydrated calcium silicate Bultfonteinite from the N'Chwaning I Mine in South Africa. The piece hosts radiating aggregates composed of tiny "needle"-like crystals of a soft orange-pink color measuring up to about 5 mm across on contrasting brown matrix. These specimens are distinctive both in habit and color for the species, as we're often used to seeing this mineral in white acicular "needles", and not these lovely pink "balls" like this. A really cool and good quality specimen of this very hard to find mineral. From the collection of Vasco Trancoso, a medical doctor and prominent mineral collector from near Lisbon, Portugal (https://www.mindat.org/user-11954.html). He assembled his mineral collection over the course of 60 years, and built a fine worldwide display collection that we recently purchased. This piece is pictured on mindat.org at https://www.mindat.org/photo-185191.html