Zircon with Ilmenite and Albite

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This is one of those specimens which, once you look a bit closer, certainly has the big wow factor. From Vavnbed Mountain in the Lovozersky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, this busy miniature is a complete mixture of Zircon, Ilmenite and Albite. The cream-coloured Albite feldspar forms the binding matrix, acting as the ‘glue’ between the individual Zircon and Ilmenite crystals. The Ilmenite forms reasonably well-developed crystals in a range of sizes, which form as individuals and small clusters in, and protruding from the Albite. However, it is the chocolate brown Zircons which hog the limelight and steal the show! They form flattened, octahedral crystals with a bright glassy lustre, ranging from a few millimetres to 2.4 cm on edge!