Muscovite var: Illite (formerly Hydromuscovite and Ivigtite)

Item Description

A rare old combo specimen from the famed Ivigtut Mine in Greenland featuring muted green colored Muscovite (var: Illite), but originally labeled as Ivigtite, along with purple Fluorite, and red brown spots of Cryolite. I can't recall seeing a piece of this material prior to this one, and if you're a fan of minerals of Greenland or specifically, the Ivigtut Mine, this is a worthwhile oddity to add to your collection. The piece is accompanied by a couple of labels, one from Mineral Unlimited (who used to exist a mail-order mineral company sending out samples of specimens that people would select from a mailing list) and another from the former owner, whose name does not appear on the 3x5 index card. A cool rarity from this classic locality.
From the collection Dr. Robert ("Rob") Bowell, a geochemist and adjunct professor in Geochemistry and Mineralogy at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Rob has a background in applied geology in tropical and deeply weathered terrains, he also has done mining consulting in the fields of due diligence, financial and technical audits, process chemistry, environmental geochemistry, environmental engineering and mineralogy.