Villiaumite (rare halide)

Item Description

Villiaumite is a rare sodium halide found in alkalic igneous rocks. The species was named after French explorer Maxime Villiaume, in recognition of his efforts for acquiring collections of minerals from Madagascar and Guinea, as the species was first noted in one of the collections he amassed. The species has a characteristic carmine-red color, which is evident in this lustrous, euhedral, tabular crystal from the famous Khibiny Massif of Russia. It appears to be a floater, with terminated and slightly rough edges. Most such are simply cleavage fragments but we are sure this pocket crystal has real faces, as opposed to the usual shards one sees. Unusually well crystallized, rare material from this locale. valued $200