Rhodochrosite on Rhodochrosite (new find)

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At nearly 15 cm across, this large plate of tabby rhodochrosite crystals is a significant example from this small find in early 2019 at a tungsten mine from which we have not really seen specimens yet. Dozens of tabular, sherbet-pink rhodochrosites with salmon-colored cores liberally cover the plate, like rhodochrosite Oreo cookies. The matrix is coated by an earlier generation of tiny, sparkling, rhodochrosites that are so lustrous and shiny that they make the whole piece look wet and sugary. Rhodochrosite is part of the hexagonal crystal system, and the hexagonal structure of these slightly-rounded crystals is quite unusually obvious! The matrix of the specimen is partly milky-white quartz, and metallic, brassy chalcopyrite crystals accent the specimen. Overall, the best example of this strange material we had obtained, and we have not seen more since.