Tantaeuxenite-(Y) (extremely rare!) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

An incredibly hard to find specimen of the rare earth oxide Tantaeuxenite-(Y) from what might be the most well-known locality for the species, though it's only found in about 15 localities worldwide. It was first described from the Cooglegong Pegmatite Field in Western Australia, but many years ago a fairly well-known yet limited discovery was made in DR Congo. This piece is an excellent representation of the material featuring sharp, well-formed, greyish-brown Tantaeuxenite-(Y) which according to the label is sitting on crystals of Tantalite, but I'm not sure if this is correct as I've seen other pieces from this locality only labeled as Tanaeuxenite. A SUPERB rarity for any species collector and virtually non-existent on the market now. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#8879). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).