Collinsite (very rare locality specimen)

Item Description

A wonderful showy specimen of the rare hydrated calcium magnesium phosphate Collinsite from Galiléia, Brazil. The species was named in 1924 after William Henry Collins a geologist and the former director of the Geological Survey of Canada. This piece hosts many botryoidal soft grey colored groups of Collinsite associated with minor golden-brown prismatic crystals Childrenite (according to the label) on matrix. I must say that it's possible the Childrenite has been misidentified, and it's actually Eosphorite.  I even found a few tiny olive-green colored groups of Zanazziite as well!  Nearly all of the Collinsite "balls" are undamaged, but a few small contacts can be seen.  Overall it's a great example of this incredibly hard to find material that came out about 30 years ago. You NEVER see Brazilian Collinsites on the market, and a piece like this would make a superb addition to any phosphate collection or a suite of Brazilian minerals. Priced at $1,500 in the inventory.