Pink Rhodochrosite Earring, Solid 925 Sterling Silver Earring, Handmade Earring, buy Jewellery For Women's, Anniversary Gifts For Wife, FSJ-4870

, FSJ-4870

Length--41 MM
Width--14 MM
Height--9 MM
Weight -- 14 Grams

Handmade Jewellery
925 Solid Sterling Silver

Rhodochrosite is a very aesthetic and desirable mineral; its deep red and hot pink crystals are highly sought after. Of special note are the beautiful, intensely colored rhombohedral crystals that have come from the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado. This mine provided a fascinating discovery in the 1960's of some of the largest and most stunning Rhodochrosite crystals ever found. The largest Rhodochrosite crystal, called the "Alma King", is a single 15 cm crystal that was found in the Sweet Home Mine in 1992.

South Africa and Peru also produce intense red transparent scalenohedral crystals that are also highly desirable to collectors. Some consider these Rhodochrosites, with the deep color, transparency, and well-formed crystals, to be the most beautiful of all minerals.

An interesting occurrence of this mineral is in Argentina, where Rhodochrosite forms stalagmites and stalactites in the 13th century Inca Silver mines. They formed from precipitating water dripping from the manganese-rich rock inside the ancient mine tunnels, and kept on growing over the centuries into large stalagmites. These stalagmites are beautifully banded with concentric growth layer, and are often sliced and polished into slabs for collectors, and may be cut and polished for jewelry.

Rhodochrosite belongs to the calcite group of minerals, a group of related carbonates that are isomorphous with one another. They are similar in many physical properties, and may partially or fully replace one another, forming a solid solution series. All members of the calcite group crystallize in the trigonal system, have perfect rhombohedral cleavage, and exhibit strong double refraction.

When Rhodochrosite is exposed to the atmosphere, it may develop a thin buy film of manganese oxide on its surface. This may slightly darken the color of a specimen. Rhodochrosite sometimes alters into black manganese oxides (such as Pyrolusite, Manganite, and Psilomelane), and black manganese oxide stains are usually associated with Rhodochrosite.