Zanazziite (very rare) on Muscovite

Item Description

This is a wonderufl specimen of a rare phosphate from this obscure locality. Zanazziite is a hydrated calcium magnesium iron aluminum beryllium phosphate, and the best examples are found in Brazil. This piece hosts dozens if not hundreds of superb, micro, sharp, translucent, well-formed, monoclinic, pinkish crystals which are sitting on a matrix of crystallized, bladed greenish to white Muscovite. Typically Zanazzite is a greenish hue, but the color of the Zanazziite on this specimen is most likely to the the presence of manganese, as I've seen pink Zanazziite from Taquaral that was Mn-bearing. The quality and color of the Zanazziite crystals on this specimen make it a great treasure, even if it is a micro specimen. We photographed the crystals with a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens to better illustrate its quality.