Rhodochrosite

Item Description

When it comes to Rhodochrosite, I think a lot of mineral collectors would first think about the world-class crystals from the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado, or the N'Chwaning Mines in South Africa. On the flip side, when it comes to the lapidary trade, Argentina is the big producer of Rhodochrosite. The material is not often gemmy enough for faceting stones, but it does have great color and beautiful banded layers, and you'll see large polished slices along with gorgeous cabochons and carvings. This particular stone is a beautiful reddish-pink, grey and white "Donut Cabochon" cut gem with good translucency, and excellent banding showing how it grew in stalactitic formations.