Volkovskite (incredibly rare)

Item Description

Volkovskite is a very rare hydrated borate species, containing essential potassium and chlorine, only found in NINE world localities according to the entry on mindat.org. It was named after the Russian petrographer A.I. Volkovskaya in 1966, who discovered it at the Inder B Deposit and Salt Dome in Kazakhstan. This piece is a notably fine and rich example filled with vitreous lamellar crystals of a rich salmon orange-pink hue, on very minor matrix. The piece GLOWS with fiery color when backlit. Certainly one of the best examples we've ever seen for the species, so if you collect rare minerals, this is a great opportunity to get your hands on something that is quite difficult to find for sale on the market today. Valued around $1,500 - $2K retail.
From the collection Dr. Robert ("Rob") Bowell, a geochemist and adjunct professor in Geochemistry and Mineralogy at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Rob has a background in applied geology in tropical and deeply weathered terrains, he also has done mining consulting in the fields of due diligence, financial and technical audits, process chemistry, environmental geochemistry, environmental engineering and mineralogy.