Rhodochrosite

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A distinguished, old-time, classic Rhodo from the Wolf Mine in Germany. The luscious, cherry-red crystal have more of a wheat-sheaf habit (rare and very desirable), and some of the crystals have a light girdle, rather than dark. The crystals reach up to 7 mm, and most are complete. The terminations are well-formed, and complex. Overall, one of the finer and prettier display-sized specimens I have seen turn up from these old finds! Kay acquired it in 1966 from a private collector in Germany on one of her trips there. There is a very long article on MINDAT about these finds, part of which I will excerpt here: Rhodochrosite from the Wolf mine is probably one of the best known mineral species from Germany in the world. The specimens from there are considered to be the best of Europe and they are present in museums and collections worldwide. Finds were restricted to the active mining period so nowadays specimens from there are highly sought after and increasing in value. The rhodochrosite varies in color from salmon pinkish to raspberry pink or orange-reddish to brownish. Typically it is associated with limonitic matrix where it forms crystals and aggregates in vugs of the ore. The habit varies from single millet-seed shaped crystals to star or hedgehog shaped aggregates of those, barrel and cone shaped crystals as well as sheave-like aggregates. Most of the crystals are built by numerous small steep scalenohedral subindividuals. The crystals reach up to about 2 cm size, larger crystals have been extremely rare. The majority of the crystallized samples show crystal sizes from a few mm to about 1 cm. Also botryoidal and spherical aggregates and coatings were common. The aggregates often show a 'raspberry' like habit ('Himbeerspat' - raspberry spar - Breithaupt, 1832). The most beautiful specimens are of a deep orange-pink color, they are translucent and provide a great contrast to the limonite matrix...(https://www.mindat.org/loc-15120.html)