Olmiite (Type Locality)

Item Description

An impressive and pristine 360-degree compound ball of lustrous flesh-pink, sharp, densely intergrown, orthorhombic olmiite crystals aesthetically set on contrasting layered hematite matrix from the famous Type Locality - the N'Chwaning II Mine. A striking sharp 9 mm rose-pink secondary crystal on one side is a super accessory. A variety of forms and colors were collected in late 2001-early 2002. These were originially marketed as Poldervaartite, a rare complex Ca-Mn-Fe silicate, with the nearby Wessels Mine as the Type Locality. Further research in 2008 revealed that all of these specimens were actually a new species, Olmiite, the Mn-dominate analog of Poldervaartite. This is an outstanding and aesthetic example of this color varietal of the rare species. See the fine N'Chwaning Mines article in the 2017 Mineralogical Record issue, Vol. 48, No. 1.