Rhodizite (very rare)

Item Description

There was a fair number of fine quality rare minerals coming out of Madagascar in good crystallized examples going back to the late 1990s-early 2000s. Unfortunately these specimens are few and far between on the market now. Certainly, Rhodizite is one of the more impressive rare species found in Madagascar in terms of crystal form, color and size, for a rare mineral. If you look at the entry for Rhodizite on mindat.org, you'll see that as of right now, there is only ONE confirmed locality for the species outside of Madagascar. The Russian and English localities have either been discredited or are in serious doubt. Before the discovery of Rhodizite in Madagascar, the largest known crystals were originally reported in Russia and they most only measured a few mm. Rhodizite is not only a rare mineral (it's actually a beryllium borate species), but it's a rare GEM mineral that is highly sought after by gem and mineral collectors alike. It forms a series with the fairly recently approved species Londonite with Rhodizite being the potassium end member. This is a great Rhodizite specimen featuring a 1.7 cm, sharp, lustrous, strong yellow color crystal with minor Smoky Quartz and dark reddish-pink Liddicoatite Tourmaline on white feldspar matrix. The Rhodizite is in good condition, but please note that it is contacted on one edge where it grew against the matrix. Nothing new has been found in recent years, so these are becoming very difficult to find on the market. Valued $750. From the collection of Brian Kosnar.