Stokesite, Stannomicrolite and Albite

Item Description

Stokesite is a rare, hydrated calcium-tin silicate with the finest examples coming from the famous Urucum Mine. This is an outstanding and rare, two-sided sided combination thumbnail crust. Radial aggregates of lustrous, platy crystals compose the front with the upper spherials being peppered with yellow-brown microcrystals of the ultra-rare tin-rich member of the microlite subgroup of the pyrochlore group of minerals, stannomicrolite (of Hogarth 1977). It is known from only four localities worldwide. This species was discredited in 2010. The back of the crust is nearly a mirror image of the front and consists of spherical aggregates of very glassy and gemmy colorless, albite crystals. Superb and showy rare combination material for the rarities, species or locality collector. These sold, when they came out, for several hundred $$ apiece. now, they are very hard to obtain.