Mopungite (very rare) (ex Franceso Bedogne Collection)

Item Description

Rich micro crystalline areas and masses of cream-white colored Mopungite can be seen all over this attractive miniature specimen. Mopungite is a very rare sodium antimony hydroxide that is only found in seven localities in the world. The species is part of the Stottite Subgroup of the Perovskite group. Specimens from Italy are arguably the most well-known on the market, especially those from the Le Cetine di Cotorniano Mine which stopped operating at the end of WWII. A great rarity for any species collector! From the worldwide collection of famed Italian mineral collector, field collector and author, Francesco Bedogne of Sondrio, Italy (Collection #2206) with a label from Italian dealer Daniele Respino. Bedogne wrote dozens of articles and several books about the mineralogy of Italian Alpine localities such as Val Bregaglia, Val Masino, Val Codera, Val Spluga, Valtellina and the famous Val Malenco. He was also the founder of the Valtellinese Mineralogical Institute.