Danburite (rare blue color) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

This specimen was collected in 2004. While these specimens are not a new find per se, they are fairly new specimens from a well known locality. These are the only BLUE Danburite crystals that I have ever seen from any locality. Truly the crystals themselves are colorless, but are included by a rare Amphibole called Magnesioriebeckite, for which this is the type locality. This specimen is a very good quality display piece. It features a rather large (for this locality) sharp, highly lustrous, well formed, prismatic, gray-blue color crystal of Danburite measuring 2.6 cm sitting atop talc matrix. An interesting historical note about this locality: Supposedly the mineral was first discovered in the tomb of a "cacique" (a native Indian chief) where they had been placed jewels to signify that he was rich. The find of these crystals was made near there. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#12851). 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 Velt" November-December 2017).