Detailed information
Species
Axinite-(Mg)
Dimensions
53 x 31 x 5
mm
Weight
12 g
Locality
Merelani Hills Lelatema Mts, Simanjiro Manyara Region, Tanzania
Condition
No recorded repairs
Axinite-(Mg) is one of the rarest species within the Axinite group having been first recognized from Merelani Hills in Tanzania during the 1970s. All these years later, the Merelani Hills occurrence is still the world's best and by a long way. Nowhere else has produced such well-formed, large, gemmy, bladed crystals. This fantastic individual bladed crystal is enormous (5.3 cm in length) for one so gemmy and displays superb growth lines in at least two directions as parallel steps. Colourwise, the upper, glassy parts of the crystal exhibit a lovely pale sherry colour and under longwave UV light it glows vivid orange with internal growth zones showing up nicely. The classic bladed triclinic Axinite crystal form is extremely well developed and there are only minor nibbles along the razor-sharp main crystal edges. The tip of the termination is intact, but does show a fracture running through 3 mm below the end. This is certainly a significant Axinite-(Mg) crystal.