Manganite (mutiple labels) (ex Francesco Bedogne Collection)

Item Description

Here we have a classic example of the famous Manganites from the renowned locality at Ilfeld, Germany, the type locality for the species. These are not only some of the most iconic examples of Manganite around, but the locality is completely defunct, and good specimens are rarely offered on the market. These crystals are instantly recognizable with their unique prismatic, striated form and beautiful jet-black, lustrous exteriors. The main crystal on this specimen is smartly flaring out of the top of the piece measuring in at 2.0 cm. While the main crystal is undamaged, some of the secondary crystals and underlying matrix is contacted. It remains a very attractive and worthwhile display specimen of this beloved material. Valued in our inventory at $1200. From the worldwide collection of famed Italian mineral collector, field collector and author, Francesco Bedogne of Sondrio, Italy (Collection #183). The piece is accompanied with mutiple labels from other collections including Bottega Delle Pietre, Raccolta Fabbri - Masetti and another with no attribution. Bedogne wrote dozens of articles and several books about the mineralogy of Italian Alpine localities such as Val Bregaglia, Val Masino, Val Codera, Val Spluga, Valtellina and the famous Val Malenco. He was also the founder of the Valtellinese Mineralogical Institute.