Rhodochrosite. N'Chwaning I Mine, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape, South Africa. 3.5 x 3.1 x 3.0 cm (1.38 x...

Description

Rhodochrosite
N'Chwaning I Mine, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape, South Africa
3.5 x 3.1 x 3.0 cm (1.38 x 1.22 x 1.18 in)

For so many mineral collectors, the Rhodochrosites of the N'Chwaning I Mine have become the holy grail of collecting, more so due to their increasing scarcity on the modern market, now that the original legendary find was discovered nearly forty years ago! This find was characterized by large, sharp scalenohedral crystals, with the deepest red color you could ask for in any mineral. The "floral" clusters were the most sought-after, such as this example, featuring five main crystals that flare out from a single origin point. Each of these crystals are complex and take on a faceted quality, and each of the faces reflect light readily, giving away the beautiful fine texturization of the surfaces. The color is difficult to describe with any English words, but may be best conveyed with: fiery, mythical, and delightfully deep. Overall, this specimen exemplifies all of the qualities that made this historical find famous, and the vast, vast majority of this material is (justifiably) hoarded in private collections. As with virtually all of this material, the very tips of the Rhodochrosite crystals are cleaved, but the rest of the cluster is in excellent condition.

From The Edgehill Collection.

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