"Columbite" (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

A really cool old time crystal of "Columbite" (probably Columbite-(Fe)) from this obscure locality in North Carolina. Needless to say I haven't seen one of these before, and this particular piece is a great "time capsule" into how people preserved and displayed mineral specimens years ago. The piece is held in place with a wire cage that is sticking out of a cork. The crystal itself almost resembles some kind of Mica as it has a layered appearance with concentric rings that build to a point on the front face. It's certainly strange for the species, and considering the obscurity of the locality, it's a noteworthy and eye-catching example for any thumbnail or US mineral collector. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#4936). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record).