RHODOCHROSITE "JEWEL". N'Chwaning Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Photo Heritage Auctions.

The element Manganese is an essential component of many modern necessities: everything from steel to dry cell batteries. Approximately 99.999999% of Manganese ores are BLACK. Not just a little black, but black enough to get Manganese miners banned from local Laundromats for washing their work clothes: this is not a joke. Evidently, Mother Nature took pity on this hard-working element and partially made up for the slight by giving Manganese a starring role in the production of some of the most aesthetically attractive minerals ever to grace the planet: Rhodochrosite being the most notable. The color and transparency of Rhodochrosite ranges from pale pink and opaque at one end to deep red and limpidly clear at the other.

Which brings us to the miniature size Rhodochrosite group seen here. It is a group of approximately thirty scalenohedral crystals of a deep rose-red color with the gemmy transparency - all of the crystals are mostly intact with a few with cleaved tips. In fact, if this specimen were not so perfect, a gem cutter would be tempted to fashion the crystals into rare gemstones. The bottom side of the specimen is composed of dark brown Rhodochrosite with no matrix. The largest crystals measure approximately one inch (2.5 cm) and all prisms show glassy luster with some interesting 'micro-features' on certain faces and edges.
Overall measurements: 2 x 2 x 1.25 inches (5.1 x 5.1 x 3.2 cm). Offered at no reserve. Estimate: $12,000 - $18,000.

Provenance: Rocksmiths [Hoppel Catalog # D0814]

Heritage Auctions. 2013 June 2 Nature & Science Signature Auction - Dallas