Stichtite (rare)

Item Description

A lovely and classic example of Stichtite, a rare hydrated chromium magnesium carbonate which forms as an alteration product from chromium-bearing Serpentine. This mineral was discovered in 1910 in Western Tasmania, Australia, was first recognized by A.S. Wesley a former chief chemist with the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, it was named after Robert Carl Sticht, who was the manager of the mine. This piece is a good rich example from the Kaapschehoop area in Mpumalanga, South Africa featuring a solid mass of eye-catchingly purple colored Stichtite. It is not common to find such a large pure sample of Stichtite like this, mostly because it's commonly found either mixed in with host rock or green Serpentine from various localities around the world.
From the worldwide collection of David Burgess (1951-2016). David was a prolific species collector from Newington, Connecticut, and the namesake for the extremely rare cobalt arsenate species Burgessite, which he discovered.