Shigaite (exceedingly rare) (ex Matioli)

Item Description

Wow! This is the first specimen of Shigaite that I've seen from the Type Locality in Japan, the Ioi Mine in Shiga Prefecture on Honshu Island. Most collectors are familiar with the beautiful reddish-orange Shigaites from the Kalahair Mn-Field, but very few people have seen a piece of the Japanese material. In fact, outside of South Africa, most people have never seen a piece of Shigaite from any of the ten or so localities where the species is reported. This piece is a micro to be sure, but when viewed under magnification, you can see tiny crystalline yellowish-brown Shigaite. For your rarities collectors, or collectors of Japanese minerals, you can't pass this one up, they're nearly impossible to find on the market, and this one came directly to Paolo Matioli from Kato's Minerals in Japan.