Rhodochrosite
One of one. Pay securely by PayPal or direct bank deposit at checkout.
Rhodochrosite from the Capillitas District, Catamarca Province, Argentina, measuring 96 × 65 × 44 mm and weighing 342 grams. A substantial piece from the locality that effectively defines the species for most collectors.
Rhodochrosite is manganese carbonate, MnCO3, trigonal, and Capillitas material is prized above all other sources for its vivid pink to rose-red colour and for the finely banded growth that has also made the district's Rhodochrosite famous as an ornamental stone, sold internationally as 'Inca Rose'. The mineral formed in epithermal silver-lead-zinc-copper veins hosted in volcanic rock high in the Argentine Andes, with manganese-rich hydrothermal fluids depositing Rhodochrosite in successive bands as the vein system evolved.
Capillitas Rhodochrosite has a genuine claim to being Argentina's best-known mineral export, and a substantial piece like this shows the colour and banding that built that reputation. This piece is from the David Vince Collection.