Bustamite with Galena

Item Description

A nice association specimen of Bustamite (an uncommon calcium manganese silicate mineral) with Galena from Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. Experienced collectors will tell you that the finest Bustamite examples ever found are those from Broken Hill. The species is notably diverse from this area, as I've seen crystals that range from red to reddish-brown, red-orange, salmon-pink, white and even lilac, with habits ranging from big/thick/blocky to thin and acicular. This piece is filled with partial crystals of light pinkish colored Bustamite, some of which show fairly well-formed faces, intermixed with dark grey-black Galena, and no real matrix to speak of. It's amazing to think a rich piece of Bustamite like this was literally mined only for its manganese content, and could have easily ended up in the crusher, despite the fact that there's almost no other place in the world where you find a concentration of crystallized Bustamite like this.