Manganoan Calcite

Item Description

This is a really unusual specimen: a visually shocking and highly "biological-looking" crystal form and habit of a translucent, glassy luster, pretty pastel pink Manganoan Calcite "brain" from the Nikolaevskiy Mine. The hemispheric dome has tapered, possibly Nail-head, Calcite crystals radiating outward from a central point as can be viewed from underneath. The top surface shows all of these flattened rhomb(?) terminations layered and almost fused together to form the glassy "sutured" dome. A complete oddity! The faces are curved and have an enduring "wet-look" to them. An enchanting Calcite specimen with dramatic sculptural form and a lovely pink color. The piece has a vivid orange fluorescence that is super intense even with minimal strength light, among the brightest and most saturated color you will see. 1980s-1990s vintage, from the productive mines here in Russia. Ex. Jack Halpern Collection No. 2815.