Rhodochrosite with Sphalerite

Item Description

This Sunnyside Mine produced some beautiful and well-known Rhodochrosite specimens in its day. Before the Sweet Home Mine, people associated the Sunnyside with Colorado Rhodochrosite. This locality is completely closed down, and good specimens are highly sought after by collectors around the world. This gorgeous small cabinet specimen is loaded with dozens of gorgeous pink color, sharp rhombs of Rhodochrosite which are intergrown to create a lovely three-dimensional display piece. Associated black Sphalerite makes for a superb contrast against the Rhodo. If you look closely, you can see that the Rhodochrosite crystals are VERY lustrous for the species and the locality, better than the vast majority I've seen from the Sunnyside. Although these are not the largest Rhodos from the Sunnyside - they measure up to about 5 mm - the quality is fantastic. A very eye-catching and show display specimen for any collector of Rhodochrosites or Colorado minerals. It should be noted that many of these pieces are labeled as coming from the American Tunnel, but the good Rhodos all came from the upper levels of the Sunnyside Mine. Valued at $1,800.