Rhodochrosite and Quartz

Item Description

In the 80's and 90's, the great Sweet Home Mine produced what are considered the best Rhodochrosites ever, and one of the well-known and uniquely styled pockets from there was called the Hedgehog Pocket. Rich in Rhodos and Quartz, this large plate personifies the pocket. The nicely-colored, well-formed rhombs of Rhodochrosite reach up to 1 cm on edge, and the are in nestled in a forest of sharply-formed Quartz crystals. Interestingly, there are two fluorescent unknowns. One on the front that glows a bright blue-white, and one on the reverse side (you can see a hint of it) that is an intense burnt orange. With the mine having closed in the mid-90's, and the quality of the pieces such as this so dramatic, good Sweet Homes are notoriously hard to get, and with good reason. Modern values on pieces like this easily surpass $10,000 and more, and they only turn up as old collections are recycled.