Rhodochrosite on Quartz (classic locale) Kay Robertson Coll.

Item Description

An adorable old-time thumbnail combination from the historic Oppu Mine. Patches and clusters of tiny, pretty pastel-pink rhodochrosite scalenohedrons are aesthetically attached to a translucent, terminated quartz crystal with striated faces. Fragments of pyrite crystals attached to the base are a fine and typical accent. Complete all-around and pristine. Oppu Mine rhodochrosite is the most important and classic Japanese locale for the species, long after its closing in 1979. This historic and ancient mine has been worked for silver, copper, lead, zinc and cadmium and finally for banded rhodochrosite since the late 1600s (MINDAT). Crystallized rhodos from here date from before WWII to over 100 years ago! Ex Kay Robertson Collection # 3586 and acquired in the mid-1960s. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record).