Sellaite

Unknown Owner

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Named for the 19th Century Italian mining engineer, Quintino Sella, this rare magnesium fluoride reaches its zenith at Brumado. Sellaite is very rare, especially as good crystals and good ones from just a few pockets of specific styles over the decades. They are highly sought after by the native Brazilian collectors and few great ones escaped the major collections there to go out. This is an excellent and large complex crystal that exhibits incredible clarity and glassy luster. It is shockingly and totally colorless - not even a trace of hue, and with large gemmy transparent zones. Also a floater, it is complete all around. Alvaro probably obtained it while working as a mining engineer at the Pomba Pit, we assume. It is associated with a couple of partial Quartz crystals. This Sellaite was the one he kept as his own personal collection piece, and it is simply one of the finest known examples of the species in this size range and one of the most rare large crystals of a rare species that we could offer from Brazil. Alvaro, up until his 90s, was one of the top collectors ever in Brazil with a vast knowledge of Brazilian minerals.