Zircon (var: Cyrtolite) (ex Bill Larson Collection)

Item Description

A RARELY seen specimen of Zircon (Cyrtolite) from the lesser known Ohn-bin-ywe-htwet (Coconut Tree mine) in the Mogok Valley featuring a style / habit that is not commonly associated with the species. For reference, Cyrtolite used to be a valid mineral species back in the 1860s, but is now defined as a thorium and uranium bearing variety of metamict Zircon. This piece features a pair of unusual crystal "sprays" of Cyrtolite with a tan-beige hue. Typically Zircon crystals are blocky and square and rarely intergrown, but this piece is a far cry from your typical Zircon. A really odd piece and definitely not what one would expect coming out of Myanmar. I've never seen anything like this from any locality around Mogok, and it very well could be a one-of-a-kind type piece, so don't miss out, as you may never come across another one. From the collection of Bill ("Burma Bill") Larson of Fallbrook, California. Bill is a well-known gem and mineral dealer as well as a miner and collector. Bill traveled the world for decades in search of fine gems and minerals, and was directly involved in the in-person acquisition and importation of superb specimens and stones from Myanmar (Burma). You can read his biography at https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/larsonwilliam-f/