Milarite on Quartz

Unknown Owner

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This was purchased in 1999 directly from the collection of the deceased dealer Luis Leite, a well known specialist in rarities and in Brazilian classics after whom the species Leiteite was named. It is one of the finest examples of a Brazilian milarite I have come across, in any size, but happens to be a particularly balanced thumbnail specimen. Milarite is a highly coveted, yet rare, hydrated, potassium, calcium, aluminum, beryllium silicate. It is best known from the Alps and Brazil, plus a small 1970s find in Mexico. This specimen features a fine, lustrous and translucent, apple green, milarite crystal, measuring 1.5 cm in length, perched on quartz crystals, reaching 2 cm in length. Aesthetic and important! It is most unusual to get specimens with such a nice crystallized association - usually the milarites were found spaced out much more infrequently for the surface area and on generally ugly matrix (from all the locales). These are about 20 years old, and none of quality have been found since the mid-1980s to my knowledge. I think this is just a superb thumbnail for both the significance of the species, AND the balance and aesthetics of the piece itself. The crystals are also of large size for both the locality and for the species, surpassed only by a few freakish specimens from the Alps perhaps. They have excellent luster and translucency, and it would be very hard to find a competition-level display quality thumbnail of such quality on the market today. Joe Budd photos