Vesuvianite var. Manganoan

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This is a rare crystal of the manganoan, purple variety of vesuvianite for which this mine is the only source. Note that it is actually a mix of green and purple, perhaps with a green core and green tips sticking out the top - highly unusual and attractive! Most crystals date to the 1980s, but apparently a small pocket was collected in modern times. Marco Amabili, a professor of engineering in Canada, was a dedicated collector here and obtained much of the pocket for his specialized Jeffrey Mine collection, later selling Alex the choice thumbnail shown here. It is complete all around, a floater! Alex's notes say purchased directly from: Marco Amabili, PhD, January 30, 2014, in Tucson, Arizona. Marco self-collected this specimen in 2008. Recently featured in the book, Refined Elegance (Mineralogical Record, Nov. 2022) on page 71. Laszlo Kupi photo.