Stokesite (rare) with Microlite Group on Albite

Item Description

Here we have a rare and good quality specimen of the calcium tin silicate, Stokesite from the famous Urucum Mine in Brazil. There is no doubt that the finest specimens of Stokesite ever found have come from this locality. Most of the specimens you'll see are individual "balls" comprising thin bladed crystals, but the are often found free of matrix, so this is a rare MATRIX example featuring beige colored Stokesite group measuring up to 1.1 cm across, associated with tiny rich yellow crystals of the Microlite Group (which has over a dozens species, none of which can be identified visually) sitting on Cookeite Mica with associated bladed Albite var: Cleavelandite matrix, forming a very attractive specimen. Stokesite species has been known since 1899, but samples are nearly impossible to obtain from any locality these days. Sometimes you can find them from Brazilian dealers, but that's about it. Interestingly, this species is actually named after George Stokes, a mathematician who is the namesake for Stokes's law, describing the force acting on a particle moving in a fluid medium. The piece comes with an old label from noted Brazil dealer, Luiz Menezes A must have for any rare species collector.