Rhodochrosite

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This is one of two very unusual, old specimens I found with a gem dealer who has old inventory from Brazil. I had NEVER seen anything like this. Bright, glowing red rhodochrosite in the form of both botryoidal balls and individual rice-grain crystals are perched on a thin druse of rhodo that overlays the manganese-rich matrix. Given the matrix, and the fact that other Brazilian rhodochrosite localities are pegmatites that produce rhodochrosite with an entirely different habit, the only candidate locality reported in the literature for this old material is as follows: Conselheiro Lafaiete, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil (click here to see see MINDAT LINK and further geologic information). The pieces came with no information other than being from MG; but after consulting a few geologists it does seem the most likely candidate (at least from the reported literature). Luiz Menezes has recently confirmed the locality. 12.7 x 3.1 x 3 cm