Crocoite

This specimen is Crocoite from the Red Lead Mine, Dundas, Tasmania, Australia, measuring 64 x 50 x 42 mm and weighing 138 g. It is recorded with the David Vince Collection and Kapi Minerals. Crocoite is a lead chromate, and the Dundas district of western Tasmania is its single most important locality worldwide, having produced the finest examples of the species yet found anywhere. Crocoite is Tasmania's official state mineral emblem. Its bright orange-red, elongated crystals form through the interaction of lead and chromium-bearing solutions in a combination of geological conditions rarely replicated elsewhere, a circumstance that accounts for Dundas's pre-eminent status among Crocoite localities. The Red Lead Mine is one of the historic workings within that same Dundas field. At 64 x 50 x 42 mm and 138 g, the specimen is a good cabinet size for the species. Crocoite crystals are relatively soft and can be brittle, so careful handling and a stable, vibration-free display position are recommended. The specimen's documented provenance includes both the David Vince Collection and Kapi Minerals.