Ilvaite on Hedenbergite (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

The Isle of Elba is actually the namesake for the species Ilvaite and Elbaite. This piece might be the most aesthetic specimen of Ilvaite on Hedenbergite that we've had to offer from this famous historic locality. A solitary, sharp, lustrous, well-formed, prismatic jet-black crystal of Ilvaite measuring 1.6 cm long is just flaring out of a semi-"fan"-shaped group of dark green Hedenbergite matrix. There is a bit of tan pocket clay on the Hedenbergite that could be cleaned off. Looking closely, I can't really see any damage to the Ilvaite. If you collect Italian minerals, or species from the type locality, don't miss out on this showy display specimen. A very attractive and three-dimensional specimen of this well-known material. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#7168). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).