Valentinite (beautiful color - 2012 find)

Item Description

This specimen came from a very small find in April or early May of 2012 from the lesser known Xikuangshan fields, where antimony mining in still taking place today. Valentinite is typically grey, smoky or brownish in color, and when we first saw these specimens, we purchased the entire pocket as they might be the most colorful Valentinites ever found. If you combine the glowing yellow color with the eye-catching radial "sprays", they are genuinely unique and highly desirable. Most of the pieces also show a semi-velvety luster, which is not typical for the species. This piece hosts many fine quality "balls" of Valentinite comprising acicular blades sitting on Quartz on matrix. The largest Valentinite "spray" or "ball" measures 8 mm across. Looking closely, this piece is mostly undamaged, but there are a few small contacts here and there. We are confident that there may never be another crumb of this material found again, since it's been several years, and our sources say nothing has been found. There were few of them available when they first came out, so if you missed out on them back then, do NOT miss out on this one as it would make a great addition to any Chinese suite or rare mineral collection. Priced at $1,750 in the inventory.