Rhodonite with Galena (classic material)

Item Description

The Broken Hill area in New South Wales, Australia is without question one of the top mineral specimen producing localities in history. The good number of specimens, combined with the plethora of fine quality species made it a landmark locality for collectors. Mineral specimens aside, the actually value of the ORES from this area were a key factor for early prosperity in the Australia mining industry, and fair number of the minerals found here are iconic classics, unique in their appearance, quality and associations. Some of most beloved and fine quality specimens from Broken Hill are the superb Rhodonites, the finest examples are as good as it gets for the species. Most Rhodonite crystals from around the world are typically opaque and pink, but the Broken Hill specimens are GEMMY and fiery in color. Euhedral, gemmy crystals are not easy to find these days on the market, and they are certainly sought after by collectors. This specimen features sharp, lustrous, rather gemmy crystals of Rhodonite with classic fiery gemmy red color when backlit associated with shiny metallic grey Galena matrix. The largest Rhodonite crystal measures 1.8 cm long. The main crystal is in good shape, though the termination is interrupted due to the fact that it grew into the Galena, but still looks good in person. Keep in mind that the majority of these specimens were mined before 1950, and some date back as far as 1900, and undamaged matrix pieces are not easy to find.
From the collection of Colin Manlove.