Detailed information
Species
Axinite-(Fe)
Dimensions
82 x 63 x 44
mm
Weight
172 g
Locality
Puiva Mount, Saranpaul Khanty-Mansi Okrug, Tyumenskaya Oblast' Prepolar Ural, Western-Siberia, Russia
Condition
No recorded repairs
Axinite is one of my favourite minerals, or should I say group of minerals? Not because I have collected many, but for their wonderful crystal form. They lie within the triclinic crystal class: a group where very few mineral species present the perfect crystal form, but Axinite, and in particular Axinite-(Fe) are the exception. This stunning specimen is from what is regarded to be the world's best source of Axinite-(Fe) crystals - Puiva Mount, Saranpaul, Prepolar Ural, Western-Siberia, Russia. Unfortunately, that was way back in the 1980s and 1990s and no new material has been seen for nearly a generation. The crystals on this piece are large (up to 6.1 cm in length) and exceptionally well-formed, but do all have very slight areas of damage where parts of the sharp bladed edges have sheared off. Nevertheless, this is a super sharp Axinite-(Fe) display helped by the very glassy lustre to the crystals.