Zinnwaldite

Item Description

It should be noted that Zinnwaldite is actually no longer a species, similar to another former Mica species, Lepidolite. Zinnwaldite is now described on mindat.org as "a series of trioctahedral micas on, or close to, the Siderophyllite-Polylithionite join; dark micas containing lithium". This piece was mined in the late 1970s, back when Zinnwaldite was still a species, but now it should be labeled as a series between Siderophyllite and Polylithionite, but still part of the Mica group. Crystallized Zinnwaldite specimens are not common on the market, especially in this size. This specimen features excellent crystallization with pronounced tabular hexagonal form and a rich dark bronze color. It's very difficult to get any light through it, but it's still an impressive piece of crystallized Mica from a world famous pegmatite region, best known for its Amazonite and Smoky Quartz associations.