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D06-04 - Pyroxmangite - $ 1500 SOLD Nippyo Mine, Yokoneyama, Tochigi Prefecture, Kanto Region, Honshu Island, Japan miniature, 5.4 x 2.4 x 1.2 cm
A very rare specimen! This huge crystal would be lartge for the species from ANY locallity, but particularly for this old Japanese classic locale it is of incredible size. I believe it to be twinned, as you can see from the unusual habit. There is some minor edge wear on the front, but given the size I think this is permissible. When backlit, it is translucent and looks more gemmy and red, as you can see in the right-hand photo.
GEMS-010 - Rhodonite - $ 125 SOLD Morro da Mina mine, Brazil thumbnail, 6.5 x 2.6 mm ; 0.26 carats
Rhodonite is rarely found in large enough gem sections to facet stones, and despite is simplistic chemistry, it is a relatively rare mineral. The only gem quality Rhodonite that I've seen is from the Morro da Mina mine in Brazil. These stones are rarely eye clean, but they are gem quality Rhodonite and very well known among rare gem collectors. This particular stone has a few slight inclusions, but the color is a pleasing pink (very similar to smaller Sweet Home Rhodos). The cut on the stone is a Freeform cut. There's truly only one mine where you can get gems of this material in the world. I must say that since the stone is somewhat small it was not the easiest gem to photograph, and it does look very nice in person, even though the photos are a bit fuzzy. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful rare gem to add to a rare stone collection. Keep in mind that not all Rhodonite is pink, as there are localities that produce dark brown Rhodonite which is not nearly as attractive as this material.
MD-181368 - Rhodochrosite, Pyroxmangite - - Archived Sunnyside Mine (American Tunnel; Mogul Mine; Washington Mine; Belle Creole; Gold Prince; Brenneman Mine; Sunnyside Mine Group), Howardsville, Silverton District, San Juan Co., Colo miniature, 4.6 x 4.1 x 3.5 cm.
4.6 x 4.1 x 3.5 cm. Rhombs of lustrous, pink rhodochrosite, to 1.5 cm across are in turn partially covered by intense pink, translucent, prismatic crystals of pyroxmangite (a rare, manganese, iron silicate) to .5 cm in length. Ex. Harold Urish Collection.
MD-257295 - Gold, Pyroxmangite - - Archived Sunnyside Mine (American Tunnel; Mogul Mine; Washington Mine; Belle Creole; Gold Prince; Brenneman Mine; Sunnyside Mine Group), Howardsville, Silverton District, San Juan Co., Colo small cabinet, 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.4 cm.
9.2 x 6.4 x 0.4 cm. This slabbed specimen is one of the few of its kind that I have seen from this mine. It features several patches of "Cloud Gold" which is a speckling of small "dust"-like areas of Gold which are intergrown with white Quartz and associated with Galena, Sphalerite and Chalcopyrite, but the most interesting aspect of this specimen is the fact that it features pink patches of the rare Manganese Silicate, Pyroxmangite. This association of Gold with Pyroxmangite is very rare, and possibly unique to the Sunnyside mine. From the 2130 Stope, G Level, La Belle Creole Vein of the mine. This specimen was mined in 1966, and comes from the noted Colorado Gold collection of Richard A. Kosnar.
MD-260028 - Pyroxmangite - - Archived Sunnyside Mine (American Tunnel; Mogul Mine; Washington Mine; Belle Creole; Gold Prince; Brenneman Mine; Sunnyside Mine Group), Howardsville, Silverton District, San Juan Co., Colo cabinet, 10.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 cm.
10.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 cm. Pyroxmangite is a fairly simple, yet fairly rare manganese silicate which is rarely found in such rich specimens at the Sunnyside mine in Colorado. This piece is an incredible polished slab of nearly 100% pink Pyroxmangite. This piece is about as rich a sample as I have seen from this mine, and although it is massive pyroxmangite, there's more of it on this slab than the majority of crystallized specimens I have seen combined. For a long time, this material was thought to be Rhodonite, but this is not the case. Considering that Pyroxmangite is even rarer than Rhodonite. Ex. Richard Kosnar Collection.
MD-261780 - Pyroxmangite - - Archived Taguchi mine, Shidara, Kita-Shidara-gun, Aichi Prefecture, Chubu Region, Honshu Island, Japan small cabinet, 7.9 x 7.0 x 2.4 cm.
7.9 x 7.0 x 2.4 cm. Pyroxmangite is an uncommon high-temperature manganese silicate. Gemmy, lustrous, bright cherry-red crystals to 9 mm are attractively scattered on the matrix plate on this showy, old-time specimen from the Taguchi Mine. This long-abandoned Japanese manganese mine, now overgrown with forest, was once famous for the world’s best pyroxmangite crystals, some even suitable as gems. This is a highly representative example of the uncommon species and historic locale. Some of the crystals are cutter quality. Very rare in this size and quality.
MD-262234 - Pyroxmangite - - Archived Nippyo mine (Yokoneyama), Tochigi Prefecture, Kanto Region, Honshu Island, Japan small cabinet, 5.4 x 2.4 x 1.2 cm.
5.4 x 2.4 x 1.2 cm. A very rare specimen. This huge crystal would be large for the species from any locality, but particularly for this old Japanese classic locale it is of incredible size. I believe it to be twinned, as you can see from the unusual habit. When backlit, it is translucent and looks more gemmy and red.
MD-284867 - Pyroxmangite - - Archived Taguchi mine, Shidara, Kita-Shidara-gun, Aichi Prefecture, Chubu Region, Honshu Island, Japan small cabinet, 6.3 x 4.3 x 3.2 cm.
6.3 x 4.3 x 3.2 cm. Pyroxmangite is an uncommon high-temperature manganese silicate. Gemmy, lustrous, bright cherry-red crystals to 6 mm attractively fill a vug in matrix on this fine, old-time specimen from the Taguchi Mine. This long-abandoned Japanese manganese mine, now overgrown with forest, was once famous for the world’s best pyroxmangite crystals, some even facettable as gems. This is a highly representative example of the uncommon species and historic locale. Some of the crystals are cutter quality. Very rarely available in this quality or any quality.
MD-64385 - Pyroxmangite - - Archived Nippyo mine (Yokoneyama), Tochigi Prefecture, Kanto Region, Honshu Island, Japan miniature, 4.8 x 3.4 x 3.5 cm
Label (now lost) indicated it was from the collection of Bill Sanborn. Bill was a well-known San Francisco area mineralogist and curator at the California Academy of Sciences, who specialized in Japanese mineralogy and lived over there for a time. 4.8 x 3.4 x 3.5 cm
T06-329 - Pyroxmangite (!!!) - $ 2500 SOLD Yokoneyama Mine, Awano, Kamituga, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan miniature, 4.8 x 3.4 x 3.5 cm
This is an INCREDIBLE, RARE example of old Japanese material from mines that are completely dead and defunct. I have never seen another for this magnitude. It has cherry red crystals, sharp, and freestanding! I do not know HOW old these are, but I am told some date to the late 1800s. I sold this piece back in 1995 , and was happy to get it back recently! I found it in an old collection being dispersed at Tucson of that year, and the label (now lost) indicated it was from the collection of Bill Sanborn. Bill was a well-known San Francisco area mineralogist and curator at the California Academy of Sciences, who specialized in Japanese mineralogy and lived over there for a time.
Tmix07-140 - Pyroxmangite - $ 950 Morro da Mina, Conselheiro Lafaiete, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil thumbnail, 1.5 x 0.8 x 0.4 cm
This gemmy, rhodo-red thumbnail crystal from Brazil doesn’t have to take a back seat to any others from older localities. The form, color and clarity are just superb. It is a world class Pyroxmangite thumbnail from this new locality which is really trickling out only a handful of good specimens and few of this quality. I buy every good one I can lay hands on.
URI-30 - Rhodochrosite and Pyroxmangite - $ 500 Sunnyside Mine, San Juan Co., Colorado, USA miniature, 4.6 x 4.1 x 3.5 cm ex. Harold Urish
Rhombs of lustrous, pink rhodochrosite, to 1.5 cm across are in turn partially covered by intense pink, translucent, prismatic crystals of pyroxmangite (a rare, manganese, iron silicate) to .5 cm in length. This is a really unusual phenomenon, to see both related species on the same specimen! But, clearly from the crystal habits here, that is what we have. Never seen before, ourselves... There are also tiny crystals of an unknown black minerals covering a fair amount of the viewing surface. There is admittedly some damage to the rhodochrosite here, especially at the upper-left, hence the lower price than you might expect. All Content and Design ©1996-2010 The ArkenstonePowered by http://mineralwebsites.comBy-species Galleries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
