Monazite-Ce (color change twins) with Xenotime

Item Description

Monazite gets its name from the Greek word "monazein", which means "to be alone", in allusion to its isolated crystals and their rarity when first found. Monazite is usually found in granitic pegmatites, but these crystals are found in hydrothermal tin veins where is an absolute absence of Thorium (usually a trace element in Monazite). This is an attractive, very well crystallized, ridiculously rare, specimen consisting of sharp, lustrous, translucent, orange-pink, twinned crystals on Monazite-Ce measuring up to 6 mm! on Quartz crystals on matrix. Additionally, the piece features a RARELY seen prismatic crystal of Xenotime, which I have only seen in a few pieces from this locality. The Monazite are some of the most distinct and impressive twinned crystals I have seen from Bolivia, and are certainly larger than the majority of the Monazites I have seen from this famous locality. BOTH the Monazite crystals and the Xenotime crystal actually perform a color change in different lighting. The Monazite ranges from orange-pink to a white/yellow depending upon the light source, and the Xenotime goes from a pinkish-golden color to a pale yellow shade under Mercury lighting. This specimen has some very good sized crystals for the locality, from both the perspective of Monazite and Xenotime. It was found in early 2010. It is very difficult to obtain any specimens of these two incredibly beautiful and rare phosphates, especially with crystals like this from Bolivia. This piece is from the same mine for which this material was discovered along the Contacto and San Jose veins and was first described by Sam Gordon and Mark Bandy. It is so unbelievably rare to find matrix specimens of Monazite-(Ce) and Xenotime-(Y) from any locality in the world. Monazite is often dark and opaque from most localities and rarely bright like this. A truly worthwhile and exceptionally rare association specimen from this most classic of localities.