"Porricin" (A variety of Aegirine-Augite) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

The term "Porricin" was first used in 1868 to describe thin acicular crystals of what has been identified now as a variety of Aegirine-Augite on Quartz xenolith. The label accompanying this piece states that the matrix is solidified lava, but I'm not 100% certain this is correct. As you can see from the photos, there are dozens of small, translucent, rich green colored crystals of "Porricin" covering a good section of the matrix on this very hard to find specimen from the famous Eifel District. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#5982). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).