Columbite-(Fe)

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This nicely formed, thumbnail-sized, off-matrix twinned Columbite-(Fe) crystal is a very lovely example of the form this very rare iron niobium oxide takes. Forming a series of glossy, black, stepped, sharply terminated bladed orthorhombic crystals, a few of the crystals have fractured tips to their terminations, but overall they present a really nice shape for this species. Ex David Hardman Collection, this comes from the less-often seen pegmatites of Madagascar, coming from the Tsaramanga pegmatite in Betafo District.