Calcite (very unusual habit) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

A very unusual specimen for this lesser known stone quarry located about 45 miles south of Indianapolis. This piece hosts a 5.3 cm crystal of Calcite with a very odd combination of both rhombohedral and scalenohedral faces creating a habit that I can't remember seeing in Calcite before. Considering the hundreds (possibly thousands) of habits of Calcite in the world, it's remarkable to see something so large and distinct and possibly unique (?) for the species. The crystal itself is incredibly glassy and razor-sharp with good internal gemminess and an almost "phantom" like appearance. There are some smaller secondary Calcites on the side of the main crystal which make for a nice accent. No damage that I can see, only a few spots where the host rock is intergrown with Calcite. The quality is excellent in person, and the piece was a bit difficult to photograph, but take my word for it, if you collect Calcites or Midwest minerals, this is certainly something worth having in your collection. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#10590). 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).