Olmiite (Type Locality)

Item Description

A rich and impressive small cabinet olmiite specimen from the well-known 2001-2002 finds at the famous Type Locality - the N'Chwaning II Mine. Three intergrown balls of lustrous, light tan, densely intergrown orthorhombic crystals are aesthetically set on the contrasting layered hematite matrix. The large ball is 4.4 cm across, which is quite large for the variety and find. A variety of colors and forms came from these finds. 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. The balls have five contacted areas, which are a modest detraction. This remains a highly representative and rich 360-degree example of the varietal with a significantly large hemisphere. See the fine N'Chwaning Mines article in the 2017 Mineralogical Record issue, Vol. 48, No. 1.