Metaswitzerite with Eucryptite (rare)

Item Description

Here we have a fine quality and very rarely seen specimen of Metaswitzerite from the famed Foote Mine in North Carolina, the type locality for the species. The Foote Mine is truly one of the great phosphate localities in the United States, and as of the time of this posting, 162 minerals have been found there (according to mindat.org), and most of them are phosphates. Metaswitzerite (a manganese phosphate), was named in honor of George S. Switzer, the former Curator of Minerals at the Smithsonian Institution. Originally, the mineral was named Switzerite, but the entry on mindat.org states, "Switzerite rapidly and irreversibly dehydrates in air within minutes to Metaswitzerite which contains only 4 water molecules per formula unit. All "switzerites" in collections should be considered metaswitzerites". Here we have a fantastic example of this rare classic material featuring dozens of lustrous, well-formed, salmon pink colored bladed crystals measuring up to about 6 mm associated with small (2 mm) trigonal brownish crystals of the rare lithium aluminum silicate, Eucryptite on Albite matrix. It's important to note that these are well-formed, euhedral CRYSTALS of Metaswitzerite, not massive "smears" or micro aggregates. A must-have for any fan of rare minerals, specimens from the Foote Mine, or minerals from the type locality.
From the collection Jack Eaker (whose label says the specimen was identified by Jason Smith).