Beryllonite and Viitaniemiite

$7,500.00

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This is an exceptional, well-composed cabinet piece of a pair of rare phosphates that include beryllonite and viitaniemiite from the fractionated granite pegmatites of 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. The big, white to off-white, barrel-shaped beryllonite measures 10.1 cm across and is composed of several large crystals in perfect parallel growth with numerous, strong striations on the sides with flat terminations on top. The big crystal is translucent with a silky luster and one end and there is a hollowed out area on the other end filled with clusters of viitaniemiite crystals. There are literally hundreds of viitaniemiite crystals that comprise almost a jackstraw-like cluster of short to long prismatic crystals from a few millimeters to 2.5 cm in length. The off-white to pale gray prisms have good luster and spear-point terminations. The viitaniemiite crystals are sharply formed and in very good condition. A very refined cabinet-sized example of rare pegmatite phosphates from the complex granite pegmatites of Chhappu, Pakistan. Ex. Paul Stahl collection.