Stokesite (rare)

Item Description

A very rare and good quality thumbnail specimen of the calcium tin silicate, Stokesite from the famous Urucum Mine in Brazil. This locality is known for producing the finest crystals / specimens of Stokesite ever found. Most of the specimens you'll see are individual "balls" comprising dozens of thin bladed crystals, and matrix specimens are rare. This piece features a spherical group of creamy-beige colored Stokesite measuring 8 mm sitting on black Schorl matrix, with minor associated Microcline, forming an attractive specimen. Stokesite has been known since 1899, but samples are nearly impossible to obtain from any locality. Sometimes you can find them from Brazilian dealers, but that's about it. Interestingly enough, this species is actually named after a mathematician, who is the namesake for Stokes's law, describing the force acting on a particle moving in a fluid medium. A must have for any rare species collector or a serious thumbnail collector.