Muscovite

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A fine mostly loose cluster of lustrous attractive muscovite crystals, the largest measuring to 5.0 cm across. This is crystallized naturally all around, minor albite is present on the bottom side. Likely from the very early 1990s. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.The Ze Pinto claim, located in the Aldeia district near Cuparaque, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a granite pegmatite field renowned among collectors for producing exceptional aesthetic mineral associations. Active specimen mining and small-scale operations in the late 20th century uncovered a massive collapsed pocket containing over 100 kilograms of fine material, which made a famous debut at the Tucson Mineral Show in 1990. The site is particularly famous for its lustrous, silvery to soft pinkish muscovite crystals, which often serve as the matrix for small, sharp, green fluorapatite prisms perched atop the mica books. Today, these distinctive fluorapatite on muscovite combo pieces from the Ze Pinto claim remain classic, highly prized display specimens in mineral collections worldwide.