Rhodochrosite (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

Rhodochrosite is found in various deposits around the world, but pegmatitic Rhodos are special and rare. They are certainly not seen as often than the more commonly seen rhombs and scalenohedrons seen in ore body deposits. This piece is from the famed Foote Mine in North Carolina, which was known to produce some unusual habits of Rhodochrosite in very limited numbers. This particular piece features several unusually spherical groups of pinkish-orange colored Rhodochrosite measuring up to 4 mm across, scattered over the matrix. If you look closely, you can see tiny compressed rhombic faces on the "balls" so they're sort of like "rosettes", but obviously more spherical. A few of the Rhodos are contacted, so the piece is not 100% pristine, but it's one of the better examples of this elusive and desirable material that we've had to offer, especially because the piece is a not a micro specimen, it's a small cabinet with eye-visible Rhodochrosites. From the collection Jack Eaker (whose label says the specimen was identified by Jason Smith).