Name: Viitaniemiite with Elbaite Tourmaline
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 900 USD
Availability: InStock

Viitaniemiite with Elbaite Tourmaline

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A well-composed miniature of the rare phosphate viitaniemiite associated with elbaite tourmaline from a complex pegmatite in the Shigar District, Pakistan. Viitaniemiite is a complex sodium-calcium-manganese-aluminum phosphate and is a secondary phosphate formed by the alteration of primary pegmatite phosphates like triphylite-lithiophilite and amblygonite-montebrasite by late stage pegmatite fluids. This great miniature has over a dozen, translucent, stout prismatic, monoclinic crystals of Viitaniemiite from 0.5 to 3 cm in size with four of the crystals larger than 2 cm! There are numerous, mostly incomplete or single terminated, gemmy to translucent, lightly striated, almost lime-green elbaite tourmaline crystals scattered around the base and a couple at the top of the piece for great color contrast. The viitaniemiite crystals are in excellent condition and terminated with only the two partial elbaite at the top intergrown there. A very aesthetic miniature example from this 2024 find! Formerly very rare, these are huge crystals of such a seldom seen species.