Rhodochrosite

Item Description

The distinctive Rhodochrosite crystals from the Wutong Mine in China are some of the most iconic and eye-catching examples of the species from any locality. While the crystals not typically gemmy or necessarily red like the famous Sweet Home or South African crystals, they can be rather large for the species. This piece is a showy miniature featuring a pair of good-sized flattened rhombs of Rhodochrosite that show a saturated pink color on the exterior, and the crystals glow with a vibrant hue. The label mentions associated Quartz, but the habit is wrong, as they are tabular blades, and I feel that these could possibly be Bertrandite, but probably more likely that they're something more common like Calcite or Baryte. These specimens seem to have completely dried up from the market, so don't miss out on picking this one up for a great price.
From the collection of Vasco Trancoso, a medical doctor and prominent mineral collector from near Lisbon, Portugal (https://www.mindat.org/user-11954.html). He assembled his mineral collection over the course of 60 years, and built a fine worldwide display collection that we recently purchased. This piece is pictured on mindat at https://www.mindat.org/photo-184115.html