Fluoro-richterite

Item Description

The Wilberforce area near Bancroft, Ontario is one of the best known localities for specimens of Fluoro-richterite (formerly Fluorrichterite). This specimen is a classic example of these well-known Fluoro-richterites, featuring a predominant, sharp, lustrous, well-formed, dark brown prism, with a bit of attached Feldspar matrix on the back. If you look closely, you can see the crystal is actually doubly-terminated, though the bottom termination is partial, but still clearly crystallized. A very nice display piece of this amphibole species (there are actually six individual valid species of "Richterite"), and not just a solitary prism. The piece is showy and great quality for the species, certainly old material from this well known calcium metamorphic deposit. The piece is not repaired, which is an added bonus, as many of them are glued back together.
From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974 ( https://www.mindat.org/photo-326405.html ).