Rilandite (ridiculously rare!)

Item Description

Rilandite is a ridiculously rare hydrated chromium aluminum silicate species, only found in ONE locality in the world. The species was named after James L. Riland (1857-1936), a newspaper publisher from Meeker, and owner of the claim on which the mineral was first discovered. This particular specimen is only the second piece of the Rilandite that we've ever had to offer. It is not a complete crystal, but rather a small sample with visible conchoidal fracture on the surface, and a shimmering almost "greasy" luster reflecting off the opaque black hue of the specimen. A reference page on handbookofmineralogy.org states that the occurrence of Rilandite was "On the outer surface and in shallow recesses of a petrified log in sandstone". If you collect rare species, this is about as rare as it gets, and I can promise that you won't find another out there on the market right now, so do not pass up the chance to get your hands on this devastatingly hard to find mineral from the uranium fields in northwestern Colorado. From the personal collection of Brian Kosnar.