Rhodizite (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

Rhodizite is one of the more impressive rare minerals that has been found in Madagascar. It has been found in only three localities outside Madagascar: The Sverdlovsk Oblast of Russia, the Meldon Quarry in England, and in Wisconsin, USA. Before the discovery of Rhodizite in Madagascar, the largest known crystals were found in Russia and they only measured up to 1 cm. The other two localities produced very little Rhodizite, and the crystals were very small. Rhodizite is a rare gem mineral with a strange chemistry (potassium cesium aluminum beryllium borate) and is highly sought after by gem and mineral collectors alike. It forms a series with the newly approved species Londonite with Rhodizite being the potassium end member. This is a good Rhodizite specimen featuring a predominant, sharp, translucent, well formed, light greenish-yellow color crystal measuring 1.1 cm associated with an additional contacted Rhodizite crystal on matrix. This is a great example of Rhodizite, and to find such an attractive showy display specimen is rare for the species. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#240). 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).