Valentinite (beautiful color - 2016 find)

Item Description

This specimen came from a very small discovery in the summer of 2016 from the lesser known Xikuangshan fields, where antimony mining in still taking place today. Typically, Valentinite is grey, smoky or brownish in color, and when we first saw these specimens, we immediately acquired the entire pocket, since they are some of the most colorful Valentinites ever found. If you combine the glowing yellow color with the eye-catching radial "sprays", they are genuinely unique and highly desirable. Most of the pieces also show a semi-velvety luster, which is not typical for the species. This piece hosts many fine quality "balls" or "sprays" of Valentinite comprising acicular blades sitting on Quartz on matrix. The largest Valentinite "spray" or "ball" measures 6 mm across. Looking closely, this piece is mostly undamaged, but there are a few small contacts here and there. We are confident that there may never be another crumb of this material found again, since it's been several years, and our sources say nothing has been found. There were few of them available when they first came out, so if you missed out on them back then, do NOT miss out on this one as it would make a great addition to any Chinese suite or rare mineral collection. Priced at $1,500 in the inventory.