Bustamite

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Bustamite is a rare calcium manganese silicate which is rarely seen in well-defined crystals. The world's best crystals of Bustamite come from the mines at Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia where they typically present a rounded form. So, despite being triclinic crystallographically they don't show a sharp bladed form. This thumbnail-sized individual matrixless crystal, is absolutely classic for Broken Hill Bustamite: from its rounded elongated shape through to its pinkish orange-brown colour. The crystal is generally well-formed, with a complete upper termination and several sides, but with a depression on one side where it clearly grew in contact with another mineral. At 2.2 cm in length it is also a quite sizable crystal for this species. A classic, and rarity from Broken Hill.