MIX18-64
Olmiite with Oyelite
N'Chwaning II Mine, Kuruman, Kalahari MN Field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
Miniature, 4.2 x 3.1 x 3.0 cm
SOLD

A stunning, large, complex crystal of olmiite on a small piece of matrix associated with a druse of calcite and balls of oyelite at the base. The olmiite crystal is 3.4 cm in maximum dimension and composed of a myriad of crystals in composite growth whose faces and edges reflect light at every incident angle! The luster is glassy! It is one of the most robust crystals from this important series of finds and this particular style is regarded as a unique habit for the species seen in only a few of the hundred or more pockets found between 2000 and 2017 so far. Several balls of white oyelite decorate the base of the piece with them measuring 8mm across. Great color contrast and aesthetics for this piece that is in perfect condition! It is from a small pocket mined just before Munich of 2017, and brought to that show. I bought the whole lot in entirety to obtain this piece and a few others of similar form. Although literally thousands of these are on the market, and there are many different habits, I prefer this for the crystallography and pizzazz of display. It is simply different than others, and to my eye as a collector, better. I have sold and handled hundreds of specimens from the whole series of pockets to date, and this one single pocket is up there near the top of my list, with this as a competition class miniature at the top of the list of single pieces "I have loved" so far. More may come, but surely they will be different from one to another, as in the past.