Parisite-(Ce)

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The rare earth-bearing species Parisite-(Ce) is named after J.J. Paris, former owner of Muzo emerald mine in Colombia during early-mid 19th century, with the addition of "Ce" to reflect the dominance of cerium within the composition. The Muzo mine is not just the Type Locality, but also where some of the world's best crystals have been found. This miniature specimen displays a prominent 2.5 cm long orange-brown resinous hexagonal prismatic Parisite-(Ce) crystal lying lengthways across a dappled white matrix. The crystal is not just really large - most are in the 1 cm size range - but it has superb shape to it too. The crystal shows slightly curved sides to the prism, making a lozenge-shaped crystal with flat, pinacoid terminations. The crystal has been prepared to show three sides of the hexagonal prism. The specimen is mounted on an acrylic base for display. A very significant Parisite-(Ce) crystal from the Type Locality.