Auction Win: Brookite & Rutile inc. Quartz (unique combo)

Locality: Taftan, Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan

Size: Small Cabinet - 6.3 × 4.3 × 2.9 cm

A very cool phenomenon, Brookite Crystal with Rutile growing from the included Brookite! Both belonging to the same mineral family, it’s interesting to see them forming together in this whispy-gothic quartz with Silicate overgrowth.

Brookite is a titanium dioxide mineral, TiO2, and one of nature’s five forms of the compound. It was named in 1825 by Armand Lévy in honor of Henry James Brooke, a British mineralogist.

Taftan, located in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan, is a populated place situated in a region known for its porphyry-copper type mineralization potential, with nearby significant deposits such as the Saindak Copper mine. The area is geologically characterized by intermediate and felsic volcanic rocks and small hypabyssal intrusive bodies from Cretaceous through Pleistocene ages, which are considered favorable for large sulfide deposits. While Taftan itself is not defined as a specific mineral locality, it is associated with mineral occurrences including rutile and quartz found in the broader Chagai District. Collectors value this locality for its proximity to active copper mining operations and its role in the mineral-rich landscape of western Balochistan.