Rhodochrosite with RARE Stilbite association

Item Description

The various ore deposits in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria have produced some iconic mineral specimens of well-known sulfide species, along with carbonates like Calcite and Rhodochrosite. The Starnitsa Mine has the distinction of producing the rare combination of Rhodochrosite with the zeolite species, Stilbite. To the best of my knowledge, this is the ONLY place in the world where these two species are found together, at least in attractive display specimens. This piece features almost "bubbly" groups of beautiful pink Rhodochrosite which play host to small (up to 4 mm) blades of white colored Stilbite (presumably Stilbite-Ca) along with several translucent/gemmy prismatic crystals of Quartz on matrix. A lone striated Sphalerite crystals can be seen among the Quartz crystals. If you flip the piece over, you can see some small but brilliant golden metallic Chalcopyrite crystals for a nice touch. If you collect worldwide Rhodochrosite specimens, this is a really cool association piece to add to your collection, and seldom seen on the market.