"Crocidolite" (Riebeckite or Magnesioriebeckite) (ex Rich Kosnar and Pat Gross Collections)

Item Description

Crocidolite is an outdated name for what is now a variety of Riebeckite or Magnesioriebeckite. Due to the bluish color, I'm inclined to think that this is Magnesioriebeckite. This material is not common on the market, and I've personally only seen a handful of Magnesioriebeckites from the Franklin Mining District. This specimen features dozens of micro fibrous "needles" on a small amount of matrix. The piece is truly a micro specimen, and I have photographed the crystals under the microscope to better illustrate their quality. This specimen comes from the collection of noted New Jersey collector, Pat Gross, and came from her to Rich Kosnar in 1991. It is still mounted in Pat's original micro box, with her hand-written label attached.