Auction Win: Rhodochrosite (gemmy) 1.18ct
Pickup available at Crystal Castle
Usually ready in 24 hours
Details
Locality: Capillitas mining district, Andalgalá Department, Catamarca Province, Argentina
Size: Gemstone - 8.75 × 5 × 3 mm
Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate, MnCO3, prized for its pink to red color and gemmy translucence. It was named in 1813 by Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann from the Greek words for “rose” and “coloring.” This mineral is also admired as a collector gem, especially when richly colored.
Capillitas mining district in Andalgalá Department, Catamarca Province, Argentina is best known for the famous banded layers, concretions, and stalactites of “Inca Rose” rhodochrosite, first described in the literature in 1873 and still sporadically mined for specimens and lapidary material. The district hosts epithermal mineralization related to Miocene-Pliocene volcanism in Paleozoic granite, with hydrothermal veins cutting Miocene volcanic rocks and older granitic rocks. It is also the most species-rich mining district in Argentina, and collector interest remains especially strong for its world-class rhodochrosite from veins such as Capillitas, La Rosario, Ortiz, Restauradora, and 25 de Mayo.
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