Valentinite (beautiful color - 2012 find)

Item Description

This piece comes from a very limited discovery in April / early May of 2012 near the famous Xikuangshan fields. Nothing else was ever found after the initial discovery, and we acquired the lion's share of the material, which was limited to begin with. Valentinite is a species that is not often associated with colorful examples, but for sheer beauty, these unusual radial groups stand out dramatically. Valentinite has a simplistic chemistry (it's antimony oxide) and in most cases the crystals are either grey, colorless or white. These specimens from Xikuangshan feature acicular Valentinite crystals in a radiating spherical formations with a gorgeous yellow color. They almost have a semi-velvety luster to them as well. This miniature sized specimen features several groups of wonderful yellow colored Valentinite crystals forming attractive "sprays" or "balls" measuring up to 7 mm across on Quartz matrix. Good condition overall, despite a tiny bit of bruising. VERY FEW were available, and it's doubtful that more will be found at this point. Valued $500.