Rhodochrosite (pictured specimen) (ex Dr. William Logan Collection)

Item Description

A classic old Rhodochrosite from the famous Wolf Mine in Germany, arguably the most well-known locality for the species in the country. The piece features attractive, almost feathery, soft pink colored modified scalenohedra sitting on contrasting black host rock matrix. Most of the Rhodos are a few mm, but the largest crystal measures 7 mm, though it's somewhat concealed in a vug, so you have to look deep down in there to see it. The color is really noteworthy on this piece, as most Rhodos from this locality are more on the orange-red side, and the pink hue of these is rare in my experience. They almost resemble manganese-bearing Calcite in terms of habit and color. This piece has some good provenance at it came originally from the Mineralogisches Museum in Berlin and later to Tony Nikischer at Excalibur Mineral Company. Then photographed this piece for the second edition of the "Photographic Guide to Mineral Species" CD-ROM that came out about 20 years ago. Finally the piece ended up in the worldwide Rhodochrosite collection of Dr. William S. Logan (Specimen #X88) with a labels from previous owners. Valued at $500.