Dolomite (Manganese-bearing) with Calcite (Manganese-bearing)

Item Description

A rarely-seen example of pink manganese-bearing Dolomite from the famed Yaogangxian Mine in China. This piece features several, "built-up" groups of compressed rhombic crystals of Dolomite measuring up to 5.1 cm across, with a gentle pearly luster, which play host to highly tabular "stacked" crystals of soft pink colored manganese-bearing Calcite for a great touch . If you flip the piece over, you'll see the back has the impression of what was likely a Quartz crystal on the back, leaving a "cast"-like indentation where the Quartz once grew. Overall the piece is in good shape, though one of the Dolomites on the edge of the specimen is broken, but the piece can be displayed so that it's not distracting. The locality is really what matters on this one, as you rarely see such showy and three-dimensional examples of Dolomite from this mine, and the wonderful added bonus of the beautiful Calcite crystals makes it all the more enticing. I value this one in the $1,000-$1,2000 range. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection with a label from Tom Zhang. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.