Samarskite-(Y) with Columbite (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

Please note, the label with this specimen states that it is from Divino de Uba in Brazil, and while I can't find that specific locality in any database, I did find mention of an article was written by Fenner in 1928 about radioactive minerals from Divino de Uba, Brazil in the American Journal of Science | 16: 382-391, which mentions Samarskite. The piece is most likely from Divinésia, but I cannot say for certain. With that said, this piece is an interesting association specimen featuring black, prismatic "sword"-shaped crystals of Samarskite-(Y) which are associated with a single black crystal of Columbite (either Columbite-(Fe) or Columbite-(Mn)) free of matrix. You can see a small contacted point on the Samarskite where a resinous luster shines through, which almost resembles volcanic glass in a way. A cool combo from Brazil, and while the association of Samarskite with Columbite is not unheard of, I've only seen a few from Brazil in my life. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#6940). Kay was a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics. She nearly lived 100 years from April 1920 - March 2020. See the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record ( https://www.mineralogicalrecord.com/pdfs/Kay%20Robertson%20Collection.pdf ), and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017.