Rhodochrosite (Mined: 1978)

Item Description

This specimen was mined in 1978 by Dave Bergman, and actually came from one of the last pockets that he and his son-in-law Rich Kosnar found that season. This piece is a sharp, gemmy, lustrous, strong pink-red color rhombohedral of Rhodochrosite, free of matrix. The piece displays well from the front, but please note that it has been sawn on the back. It's a very attractive thumbnail, it actually sits on its own without the aid of a base or clay, but it's not completely steady, so I wouldn't recommend leaving on a shelf without some kind of stability. I don't have to tell you that good Sweet Home Rhodos are selling for top dollar across the board, especially because less and less material is available, and it seems that the specimens from the Detroit City Mine are not quite the same caliber as those from the Sweet Home. A worthwhile little specimen of Rhodochrosite from this most classic of localities. This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".