Pyroxmangite (rare)

Item Description

Pyroxmangite is a fairly simple, yet fairly rare manganese silicate which is not often found in such rich samples as the Sunnyside mine in Colorado. This piece is a beautiful "Pear" cut gem of light pink Pyroxmangite. This piece has excellent consistency for this mine, and although it is massive Pyroxmangite, it's a great rarity for collectors. For a long time, this material was thought to be Rhodonite, but this is not the case, and virtually all of the "Rhodonite" from the Sunnyside has been analyzed and is confirmed as being Pyroxmangite. The reason for the confusion was the the geologist who first identified that material was very familiar with the minerals of Franklin, New Jersey, and immediately "recognized" the specimens as Rhodonite. It wasn't until many years later that the truth was discovered. Considering that Pyroxmangite is much rarer than Rhodonite, I think this is a wonderful opportunity to buy a superb sample of this hard to find material from a now defunct San Juan locality.