Rhodochrosite with Purple Apatite

The famous Wutong Mine in China is the source of some of the finest Rhodochrosite crystals ever found. Here we have a great association specimen from this now famous locality featuring excellent quality, very sharp, compressed rhombohedra of pinkish red Rhodochrosite which are associated with beautifully complementing purple tabular crystals of Fluorapatite plus minor Quartz on sulfide-bearing matrix. You just don't see many Rhodochrosites with Apatite from this locality, but the association is certainly pleasing. What really sets this piece apart is that the luster of the Rhodochrosite crystals is better than most you’ll see from this mine, and they are GEMMY(!) which is not common for this material in my experience. We all know that Rhodochrosite is a favorite species of collectors, and superb specimens are known from famous localities like the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado and multiple localities in the Kalahari Manganese Field of South Africa, but the Wutong Mine in China stepped up in recent years as one of the premier localities for the species. The famed "Emperor of China" specimen is among the finest examples of the species extant and really put the Wutong Mine on the map. Specimen # WWMIX82103