Ramsdellite (fine quality)

Item Description

Ramsdellite is a manganese oxide species, the dimorph of Pyrolusite, that is not often seen in good display quality specimen. The listing for Ramsdellite on mindat.org states that the species, "forms by inversion of Pyrolusite or oxidative dehydrogenation of Groutite". This is a classic specimen of Ramsdellite from the type locality in New Mexico, and it was most likely famously collected by Dick Jones, according to his son Roy as all of the good ones were found by Dick years ago. This piece is not a muddled mass, but rather a good piece featuring defined, lustrous orthorhombic prismatic crystals sitting atop a massive Ramsdellite matrix. The species is really only found in a few places in the world in superb crystallized examples, with the finest pieces coming from Lake Valley. This piece has very little damage, save the periphery where it was removed from the pocket. The luster is what I would call "directional" as it seems to change when rotated in the light, and appears brighter at certain angles than others. The largest individual crystal measures about 1.0 cm. A great piece for any fan of New Mexico minerals, or fine U.S. minerals.