Manganite (ex. Charlie Key) - rare, large xls

Item Description

Stunning, bladed, elongated, Manganite crystals fan out along their length in this beautiful miniature from the Wessels Mine in the Kalahari Manganese Field of South Africa. This miniature is especially good for the locality where such large crystals are seldom found despite that it is the world's largest accessible manganese mine! The luster is amazing and this was a one time find here decades ago, this miniature being preserved in the personal collection of legendary dealer Charlie Key.. The Manganite crystals in aggregate are from 3 to 4 cm in length fan out in slightly separated growth creating a scintillating effect as the piece is rotated. It has a brilliant and pristine display face with minor contacting at the top. This is an excellent specimen from a district that doesn't produce much Manganite of specimen caliber. Charlie had one of the finest overall collection of Kalahari Manganese Field minerals, and specialized in miniatures and rarities, so this has excellent provenance. We bought his collection with Marshall Sussman back before 2010. Valued over $1000