Rhodochrosite (Hefendehl Coll.) - rare style

Item Description

Rhodochrosite of course has a number of forms and shapes, and even colors, depending on where it is found. However, these round (botryoidal) crystal aggregates are among the rarest of rhodochrosite styles and crystal shapes. This is old material, from the first find that hit the market of this material back in the late 1990s when the old mine was being re-explored for minerals (a few small pockets have been found since then). This is an old mine, famous for manganese at the turn of the 1900s and then more or less absent from history as far as collectors were concerned. It has been revived of late and has produced the world's best rhodonite crystals, but rhodochrosite, although a related species in that it occurs where manganese can be found, is really rare here and found sparsely compared to the rhodonite. This rounded style has been a classic for decades, and they almost never turn up for sale. This is actually a relatively large and rich specimen, with botryoids to 1 cm. This specimen is donated by Wolfgang and Karin Wendel of Wendel Minerals, Germany.

This specimen is part of the 2022 Dallas Mineral Collecting Symposium benefit auction, with proceeds benefiting Mineralogical Record, Rocks & Minerals, Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, and mindat.org. Thanks to all of our participants!

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, August 22, for payment using PayPal or a credit card. Shipping will be billed at cost.