Rhodonite (ex David Burgess Collection)

Item Description

The Rhodonites from the Chiurucu Mine in Peru are some of the finest crystallized examples of the species ever found. This specimen is from a discovery in 1998 which produced some very attractive specimens. This large miniature is filled with robust, rather lustrous, bladed / tabular crystals of a lively pink Rhodonite measuring up to 1.6 cm. Very little matrix is present, so the piece is nearly all Rhodonite, and it actually sits very well on its own without the aid of a base or clay. There is a selective depostion of a white unknown mineral on certain areas of the Rhodonite crystals, and it's difficult to determine whether this is micro Quartz or pocket clay. A beautiful example of these now hard to find Rhodonites from this well-known Peruvian locality. Valued at $500-$600 in today's market. From the worldwide collection of David Burgess (1951-2016). David was a prolific species collector from Newington, Connecticut, and the namesake for the extremely rare cobalt arsenate species Burgessite, which he discovered.