Manganite on Barite (circa 1880s)

Item Description

Splendent, striated, jet-black manganite prisms in an impressive jackstraw cluster nearly cover the starkly contrasting barite matrix. This historic, old-timer is NOT just a "black rock" by any means. It displays very dramatically and impressively from from both sides, as you can see. The well terminated crystals are up to 9 mm. These old pieces came out in about 1865-1890 (per the excellent 2010 Ilfeld article in The Mineralogical Record). This piece is nearly solid, crystallized manganite ALL AROUND. Excellent crystals, nice size, and high luster make this an excellent and affordable large miniature. From an old European collection. Classic material. valued $750-1000