Dolomite (twin) (rare color) with Magnesite (ex Tom Campbell Collection)

Item Description

The famous Pomba Pit at Brumado, Brazil is one of the largest Magnesite deposits in the world. The material is quarried for the magnesium content which is used as a refractory material in the steel industry. These crystals are some of the finest examples of the species known, but another carbonate, Dolomite is also found at the Pomba Pit. This piece is a great association specimen of these two species featuring a 5.6 cm, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, penetration twinned crystal of Dolomite which has a rarely seen beautiful orange-red hue caused by iron oxide content. The main Dolomite twin is associated with a few smaller Dolomite twins along with some sharp, very gemmy rhombs of colorless Magnesite. The Dolomite twins have sharp, well-formed faces with alternating glistening and matte luster. The piece is crystallized all the way around on both sides, but there are some rough areas around the base, so it's not 100% damage free. The impressive size of the primary Dolomite twin combined with the fantastic fiery color makes it a very worthwhile pickup for anybody who collects Brazilian minerals or worldwide carbonates. Hard to photograph and BETTER in person! Valued at $950. From the worldwide collection of Tom Campbell. Tom is a mineralogist and mineral collect who works with us here at The Arkenstone. He has over 35 years of experience in the fields of exploration geology, mining, and applied mineralogy, and has even more years under his belt as a collector! Tom has described many new species over the years, and discovered the rare phosphates Tiptopite, Fransoletite and Pahasapaite. Tom was also a co-author on the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Minerals. You can see a list of Tom's published works here ( https://www.irocks.com/thomas-j-campbell-publications-list ).