Ramsdellite (classic material)

Item Description

I think it's safe to say that the best, and most iconic / eye-catching specimens of Ramsdellite are those from Lake Valley, New Mexico. This fairly uncommon manganese oxide is a dimorph of Pyrolusite, and I've seen some pieces labels as pseudomorphs of Pyrolusite after Ramsdellite. According to mindat.org the species, "forms by inversion of Pyrolusite or oxidative dehydrogenation of Groutite". The species is really only found in a few places in the world in superb crystallized examples. This is a classic specimen of Ramsdellite from the type locality, and was almost certainly collected by Dick Jones, according to his son Roy, who said that Dick found the original material, and collected the best examples of the species at the type locality. What really stands out about this particular piece is that it's not a muddled mass, but rather a fine display specimen featuring sharp, lustrous orthorhombic prismatic crystals in beautiful diverging and flowing aggregates. This piece has very little damage, save the periphery where it was removed from the pocket. The luster is rather bright for the material, and what I would call "directional" as it seems to change when rotated in the light, and appears brighter at certain angles than others. The largest individual crystal measures about 1.3 cm. Valued at $900. If you collect New Mexico minerals, or good examples of U.S. minerals, do not miss out on this one.