Tephroite

$1,750.00

$40.00 shipping
Seller offers an extended return window of up to 30 days
Ships from USA

So rarely does the manganese silicate mineral Tephroite form crystals most collectors would struggle to describe their form. That makes this fine miniature specimen from the famous Wessels mine at Hotazel in the Kalahari Manganese Field all the more special. Remarkably, it is not from a collector in South Africa, but the stunning systematic collection assembled by brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021) showing that it was considered by them to be a superb example of this unusual species. Even at Wessels mine, crystals are rare. This piece features slightly rounded bladed crystals to 1.2 cm in length of a clove-brown colour, but with paler surfaces. It is very different to the only other source of significant crystals - that at the Type Locality at Sterling mine, Franklin, New Jersey.