Rhodochrosite ps. Calcite

$7,500.00

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The ArkenstoneFeatured

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A showy and fine quality full cabinet-sized specimen of these beautiful pseudomorphs of rhodochrosite replacing calcite from the famed Oppu Mine, the premier rhodochrosite locality in Japan (a historic locality from prior to 1900). Most such surviving rhodochrosite specimens are flat or rounded plates. Crystals are very rare, showing rhodo or this replacement after rhodochrosite. Here we have a complete display face showing off colorful and complete replacement of sharp, 2 to 6 mm, scalenohedral calcite crystals by rhodochrosite. This is an unusually fine example of this rare, old material, with the longest dimension of the piece at 5 inches. It is gorgeous with the surface covered entirely by the lovely pink pseudomorphs with some of them showing a hollow interior. The underside shows the typical quartz-pyrite-sphalerite vein assemblage with a late stage of sphalerite showing directly under the surface of the rhodochrosite-calcite pseudomorphs. In excellent condition. An absolutely beautiful Japanese classic mined in the late 1800s! We sold it to Stretch around 2000 or so. Comes with a custom lucite base. Illustrated in Collecting Pseudomorphs: The Changelings of Mineralogy (Mineralogical Record, Jan 2025) on page 97. Laszlo Kupi photo.