Rhodonite

specimen number:
2354103

location:
Morro da Mina, Conselheiro Lafaiete, Minas Gerais, Brazil

description:
A beautiful complete red translucent, with some transparency on the thin edges of the crystal, complete crystal of rhodonite with no points of attachment or matrix. Perfect all around. This weighs 23 g.

Located in Conselheiro Lafaiete, Minas Gerais, Brazil, the Morro da Mina mine is a historic, long-lived manganese deposit that opened in the late nineteenth century and has been extensively worked for industrial manganese ore. Geologically, the deposit consists of metamorphosed manganese protores known as gondites, formed within Precambrian sedimentary sequences. The mine is world-famous among mineral collectors and museums for producing exceptional, highly sought-after specimens of rhodonite, a vibrant pink to cherry-red silicate mineral. Unlike typical rhodonites that are heavily veined with black manganese oxides, specimens from this locality frequently display brilliant transparency, deep coloration, and well-defined crystal forms, making them some of the finest examples of the species discovered anywhere in the world.

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