Mellite is a classic European rarity that has only been found a few times in good crystals, and seldom in such fine specimens on matrix as you see here - displayable to modern aesthetics collectors. Mellite is actually an organic compound and a rare secondary mineral in lignite deposits and is therefore a bizarre and rare species indeed! It is an aluminum mellitate (benzene hexacarboxylate) hydrate and is actually classified as an organic compound. This is a cluster of 0.5 to 3.5 cm crystals in parallel growth as all of the pseudo-octahedral faces on all of the crystals flash in unison! The crystals are a translucent to transparent, pale honey-yellow with great luster. This piece features very sharp faces with some clay inclusions. Crystals of this quality are seldom seen and almost exclusively come from this small mine and are certainly the best-of-species. It is believed that most Mellites from here were mined prior to WWII and few have been found since. Ex. R.D. Mushlitz collection with label along with a Trinity Mineral Company label (John would have sold it to him in the late 1990s - Dick was one of our early shared internet customers).