Hausmannite - image 1
Hausmannite - image 2
specimen video

Hausmannite

Unknown Owner
Choice and very lustrous intergrown crystals of Hausmannite from the N'Chwaning II mine in the Kalahari Manganese Field of South Africa. The Hausmannite crystals are sharply formed in a pyramid-like habit, measuring to at least 1.3 cm on edge, with faintly striated faces with twinning also apparent. A couple of the crystals are missing their pyramidal point, but on closer inspection they appear to be terminated with complex stepped growth, rather than from damage. The Hausmannite crystals are formed on a vein of white Calcite over a reddish to grey black iron-manganese oxide matrix. A fine Hausmannite miniature from this most famous mine.

Product details

Species
HausmanniteAbout Hausmannite →
SizeMiniature
Dimensions2.8 x 4.7 x 1.8 cm
Added on10/24/2024
Locality
South Africa, Northern Cape, N'Chwaning II MineRegional guide →

Known provenance

DateCollectorAcquisition price
—Unknown Owner$1,500.00
—Crystal ClassicsNot disclosed

Learn more

Mineral guide
Learn about Hausmannite
(Mn3O4): jet-black, metallic luster with sharp pseudo-octahedra. From South Africa’s Kalahari Manganese Field, prized for dramatic contrast.
Hausmannite
Regional guide
Hausmannite from N'Chwaning II Mine, South Africa
from N'Chwaning II is one of the rare cases where a black manganese oxide becomes a true connoisseur mineral. The best pieces are not simply “black crystals”: they are architectural, high-luster, jet-black to brownish-black dipyramids, often stacked into pagoda-like forms and set against brick-red andradite, white baryte, colorless to white calcite, or the prized rose-pink datolite that made certain late-1990s pieces instantly recognizable. In hand specimen, the finest crystals have a sharp metallic to submetallic gleam that catches light from multiple growth faces, so that a seemingly dark specimen suddenly breaks into bright reflections as it is turned.