Diopside (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

An unusual and seldom seen specimen of Diopside from Madagascar in the form of a somewhat "jackstraw" like group of gray-green prismatic crystals measuring up to 3.7 cm long. Many of the crystals are contacted on their terminations, but still show very well-formed prism faces. Minor associated Phlogopite Mica can be seen on the back of the piece for a nice touch. The label states that piece is from "Mt. Bity" (Ibity), but it very well could be from the Ampandrandava Phlogopite Mine which is actually in a different province, but I've seen similar looking specimens from that mine. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#7022). 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).