Chondrodite with Spinel

Item Description

A wonderful and now rarely seen specimen from the Sungate Mine in Vietnam. This piece was mined in 2002 and is arguably the best individual specimen of Chondrodite that we've had to offer in the auctions. Chondrodite is quite possibly the most well-known member of the Humite Group, and good crystals are incredibly hard to find on the market. There are superb micro crystals from Somma-Vesuvius Complex, Italy, and some large impressive crystals up to many cm from the Tilly Foster Mine in New York, but the species is typically found in unattractive rounded crystals or granular "specks". In the late 1990s-early 2000s, the Sungate Mine in Vietnam produced what are certainly the finest contemporary Chondrodite crystals on the market. Today virtually nothing is coming out, and these pieces have all but disappeared from the market. This piece is a superb example of this elusive material, which is highlighted by a fairly lustrous, and suitably well-formed, prismatic crystal with a classic rich burnt sienna orange hue measuring 4.7 cm long. The Chondrodite crystal is not 100% complete, as it's contacted on the back, but it's still very good sized and shows discernible smooth lustrous crystals faces on the front. Beautifully accenting / contrasting purple colored Spinel octahedra measuring up to 7 mm can be seen on all sides of the base of specimen, along with a bit of grey colored marble. Most of the Chondrodites you'll see come from marble deposits, and are often associated with Spinel, but you rarely see such COLORFUL examples like this, most are rather dark and dull. This might be the ONLY piece of Chondrodite with Spinel that we've had to offer from this locality, so if you're a fan of fine quality display specimens of uncommon minerals, don't miss out on this one. Please note that the Chondrodite has been repaired in the center of the crystal. Priced in our inventory at $3,500.