Rutile (ex Franceso Bedogne Collection)

Capa£o do Lana mine, Rodrigo Silva district, Ouro Preto, Iron Quadrangle, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Small Cabinet, 5.5 x 0.4 x 0.3 cm
Start Time: 07/06/2017 6:30:00 pm (CDT)
End Time: 07/13/2017 6:47:16 pm (CDT)
Auction Closed

Item Description

A classic specimen of blood-red prismatic Rutile from what is actually the single most productive and famous locality for Imperial Topaz in the world. They have been mining Imperial Topaz at the Capa£o do Lana mine since the 1800's, and not many other minerals are found there, but occassionally some superb Rutile crystals find their way out. This piece is a fine quality, very sharp, lustrous, metallic, striated thin prism of Rutile that shows an intense blood red color when backlit. Nearly completely damage free, save a tiny bit of roughness on the bottom. From the worldwide collection of famed Italian mineral collector, field collector and author, Francesco Bedogne of Sondrio, Italy (Collection #1745). Bedogne wrote dozens of articles and several books about the mineralogy of Italian Alpine localities such as Val Bregaglia, Val Masino, Val Codera, Val Spluga, Valtellina and the famous Val Malenco. He was also the founder of the Valtellinese Mineralogical Institute.

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