Xenotime-(Y)

Item Description

Fine crystals of Xenotime are rarely seen on the market and presentable matrix pieces are even rarer. This is a wonderful thumbnail specimen from the famous Zagi Mountain locality near Peshawar, Pakistan featuring a sharp, well-formed, translucent, golden-orange colored prismatic tetragonal crystal, measuring 6 mm, aesthetically sitting on matrix. Keep in mind that most REE species can be dark and drab, but the crystal on this piece is certainly colorful. and it's doubly-terminated to boot! The piece is in great shape overall, but there is a small separation mark on the side of one of the terminations, so it's not 100% pristine. Since the late 1990s, Zagi Mountain has been the source of some of the most unique and interesting minerals from any locality in Pakistan. It is not your typical producer of minerals like beryl or tourmaline, but rather a source of rare-earth element bearing species found in "Alpine-type" veins in an alkaline granite gneiss host rock. Xenotime-(Y) is certainly one of the most sought after minerals from this locality, and pieces of this size, quality and overall displayability are fairly hard to find. This piece was mined in the mid 2000s. Ex Colin Manlove collection.