The world's gold standard for gem rhodonite crystals has long been and will probably remain the Broken Hill Mine, New South Wales, Australia, for these turn-of-the-1900s finds. This is a very fat crystal for the find, and it is glassy and gemmy and totally limpid with a rich cherry red color that is even better in person. A fine gemstone could be cut from this piece, but we hope it stays intact! Although rhodonite has since been found in Brazil to beat these old classics in sheer size, those crystals have neither the luster nor the saturation of the best of the best of the old Australian specimens. As with most such crystals, this one has some wear issues we wish it did not have but is acceptable in context (one natural in situ cleave on one side, and a small bit of damage on another side of the termination). From the main display - facing into the front - these edge issues are minimized. It looks gorgeous on a shelf or a drawer; and it is a historic specimen of the kind we rarely see for sale.