RARE08-2-03
Kovdorskite and Collinsite
Kovdor Mine, Kovdor, Kola Peninsula, Russia (TYPE LOCALITY)
Miniature, 4.1 x 2.4 x 1.5 cm
SOLD
This splayed cluster of cream-colored, lustrous, glassy kovdorskite crystals flanked by sparkling druse of collinsite behind, comes from the huge alkali massif on the Kola Peninsula. The longest crystal is 3.75cm and thus near the record size of the species. While not from the 1980-ish type find here at this locality, this specimen is from a noted later find of the late-1990s that produced, in a small pocket the size of a basketball, the largest crystals of the species. A faint telltale blue hue, proves this (in the middle of the specimen, you can see it in the photo - there is a blue zone internally, visible from the backside), and was characteristic of that pocket. It is quite nice for the size, and somewhat more aesthetic in person. That being said, it is unarguably more aesthetic than almost any other but a few examples of this species, that could be had, the crystals are large, and the species is significant on its own merits. (TYPE and ONLY LOCALITY)