Pyrosmalite-(Mn)

$9,000.00

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The ArkenstoneFeatured

3,403 for sale·Member since 2026

This is an important and large example of one of the most rare and desirable of all Aussie mineral classics. The specimen is a robust and significant grouping of stout, intergrown, well-formed, red-brown crystals of Pyrosmalite-(Fe) from early 1900s finds at the famous location of Broken Hill, Australia. The crystals are extremely large for the species and vary from 1 to 2 cm across and 4 to 8 mm in thickness; and they are moderately translucent when backlit. They exhibit a sparkly appearance on their surface from surface growths. Pyrosmalite-(Fe) is an iron silicate with hydroxyl and chlorine. This is a great display piece for the species and there is no damage except what could be considered contacting at sides around the periphery with what were probably other Pyrosmalite-(Fe) crystals. This is a very old piece from workings circa 1900 or before; and such specimens are few and far between. Unlike most, it is actually aesthetic and has large crystals! From the miniatures suite of the Steve Smale Collection. Steve related that he got this in the 1970s from noted Australian collector Albert Chapman, much of whose collection now resides in the Sydney museum. Large specimens like this, with fine crystals, are simply not on the market.