Name: Gaudefroyite (Type Locality)
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 2500 USD
Availability: InStock

Gaudefroyite (Type Locality)

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Gaudefroyite is a very rare calcium-manganese borate and this is an exceptional small cabinet specimen for the species from the type locality! We had to do a little research to pin this one down from old labels, and it has survived from the 1800s (presumably, judging by the old French Geological Expeditionary Forces label) through several German collections. In fact, we have never seen anything from here except small shards and samples, for sale. This is old material from the French geological survey work in Colonial era times. At the time, this was the type locality for two related species: marokite and gaudefroyite. They may not have been easily distinguished at the time, hence the labelling as you see. We did have this analyzed to confirm - as I was suspicious of the size of the crystals, and indeed this is truly gaudefroyite: the finest matrix piece we have seen for sale outside of the classic Kalahari material from the 1980s. There is a cluster of larger crystals on one corner that are surely some of the largest for the species from this location, and almost resemble manganite or maybe etched neptunite crystals in their look. The large, 4 cm crystal is huge; and an adjacent, 2.5 cm crystal is doubly terminated. This portion of the piece also has some translucent white, non-crystalline calcite that looks like it has been etched to reveal the big crystals within. An important and probably close to best-of-species-on-market piece for the mineral for a type locality piece! A sizable, and important specimen of this rare species, from a special locality long lost to the eyes and minds of modern collectors.