Rhodonite with RARE Garnet association

Item Description

Here we have a classic example of the famed Rhodonites from the Morro da Mina Mine in Brazil, which are some of the finest examples of the species ever found. These specimens typically only feature Rhodonite, with no associations, and the majority of the time the specimens consist of a single crystal or a maybe handful, but robust groups are quite uncommon. This piece is filled with many sharp, well-formed, bladed crystals of a rich reddish-pink hue measuring up to 5.0 cm long in a beautiful arrangement. Some of the crystals show a combination of very lustrous faces and rather matte faces depending on where you look, which creates a nice viewing experience, but what makes this piece so special is that it features a 7 mm group of dark reddish-brown GARNET, which is notably rare to find associated with Rhodonite, not only from this mine but from most localities in the world. I can't say for certain which species of Garnet this is, I've seen some of them labeled as Spessartine, which makes sense because of the manganese content, but I'm just leaving it as Garnet. Additionally, there are micro pale orange colored crystals in a thin druse on the underside of the piece, which could also be Spessartine. A really attractive piece with a rare association for any fan of Brazilian minerals or worldwide Rhodonites or Garnets. This piece comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He passed away mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.