{"product_id":"loparite-ce","title":"LOPARITE-(Ce)","description":"Loparite, or Loparite-(Ce), has seen its name shift back and fore. Initially named Loparite in 1925 after an indigenous tribe on the Kola Peninsula, for the \"new mineral no. 1\" of W. Ramsay in 1890, it was adjusted to Loparite-(Ce) in 1987 to reflect the dominance of cerium in its rare earth element component as per the Levinson rule. However, in 2000, it was argued that due to the disordered distribution of cations within its structure that the Levinson rule does not apply, and was duly named Loparite again, in 2024. This fine miniature specimen is not from the Type Locality, but another occurrence in the Kola area, at Selsurt Mountain. Miniature in size, it features two interpenetrant twinned cubic crystals, black in colour and free-standing above the complex rock matrix. There is some chipping along the edges of the crystals but the crystals reach 7 mm on edge which is a great size for this rare species and they present extremely well upon their matrix. It is from the superb systematic collection assembled by the brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 \u0026amp; 1956-2021).","brand":"Crystal Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46792445362351,"sku":"CC29321","price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/8516\/2671\/files\/CC29321.png?v=1782822945","url":"https:\/\/crystalclassics.com\/products\/loparite-ce","provider":"Crystal Classics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}