Turgite (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

Turgite was at one time a valid mineral species, but has since been discredited and is now defined as either Hematite or Goethite (or a combination of these two iron oxides), sometimes showing a botryoidal habit with rainbow iridescence. This piece is an incredibly hard to find locality specimen from Gaston County, North Carolina, in the southwestern corner of the state. The label accompanying the piece states that it could be from the Ormond Mine (?), but we're leaving it simply as Gaston County. Both sides of the specimen feature dark reddish-brown "bubbly" forms, but the front sides is the most eye-catching as there are gorgeous somewhat "banded" rings of multi-colored iridescence with colors including pink, lavender, blue, green, yellow, gold and orange. If you collect minerals of North Carolina, or simply unusual locality specimens, do not pass this one up, as you would be hard-pressed to find another like it.