Xenotime-(Y) (killer thumbnail)

Item Description

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. One of the most sought after minerals from this locality is Xenotime, specifically Xenotime-(Y) which is rarely seen in today's market as good specimens haven't been found in many years. This piece was mined in 2005 and is a killer thumbnail example of this sought after material featuring a beautiful intergrown group of sharp, lustrous, translucent, rich golden colored tetragonal prism meauring up to 9 mm with no matrix. What I love most about the piece is the wonderful three-dimensional arrangement of the crystals, creating a very showy and highly presentable display specimen. The piece is complete all around with no major damage anywhere, though I suppose if you look very closely with a loupe you will see a couple of tiny "Wilbers". With that said, it's nearly impossible to get your hands on a single crystal of this material, let alone a group like this, which hosts around a dozen crystals. Additionally, the REE content of these crystals allows for them to show a noted color change from the wonderful golden hue to a reddish tone depending upon the light in which it is viewed. If you're a thumbnail collector or a fan of rare-earth minerals, or simply minerals of Pakistan, do not miss out on this one as they are few and far between these days. Priced at $3,000 retail in our inventory.