Rhodochrosite (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

Rhodochrosite is a popular manganese carbonate species, found in many different environments on Earth. With that said, pegmatitic Rhodochrosite specimens are certainly not common and often can be quite different than the more commonly seen rhombs and scalenohedrons that are found 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 dark pinkish-orange colored Rhodochrosite measuring up to about 5 mm across, which are associated with white prismatic Laumontite, and if you look closely, you'll see tiny Pyrite crystals on top of the Rhodos. Some of the spheres 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 / large miniature with big eye-visible Rhodochrosites.
From the collection Jack Eaker (whose label says the specimen was identified by Jason Smith).