Childrenite (superb crystals)

Item Description

A notably rich and densely packed full-sized cabinet display specimen of Childrenite (an uncommon iron aluminum phosphate) featuring narrow "sword"-shaped crystals of a rich golden-brown hue which are sitting on a layer of an olive-green colored member of the Roscherite Group (likely either Roscherite, Greifensteinite or Zanazziite) sitting on partially etched beige colored Feldspar with a cluster of white Quartz crystals on the back. The largest single Childrenite crystal is on the back of the specimen, and measures 1.7 cm. When backlit, you can see the Childrenites are gemmy, and actually show color zoning with a richer hue in the center, and lighter (nearly colorless) shades on the outer edges. Nearly all of the crystals are undamaged and look great up close, but the piece itself looks fantastic on the shelf in a display case. It's notably rare to find such showy and undamaged cabinet sized display specimens of this material, certainly you can only get them from Brazil. Keep in mind that Childrenite from other countries is typically seen in very small examples, measures in mm, rather than cm like this piece. Valued $2,500.