PARISITE
Specimen par-3

Dims: 0.8 x 0.7 x 0.6" (2.0 x 1.9 x 1.5 cm)

Wt: 9 g w/ foam base

F & S Mine, Tarkio, Montana, U.S.A.

This thumbnail specimen consists of a cluster of scores of tiny, partly-intergrown Parisite crystals. These crystals are generally in good condition- several appear to have light, old damage- and tend to be less than 0.5" (1.3 cm) long and 2 mm thick. All appear to have a thin hexagonal pyramidal form that resembles some calcites and a dark brown color and dull, waxy luster. All are essentially opaque. Little or no base rock is present, and the piece is hot-glued into a plastic thumbnail box.

Dims: 1.32x0.90x0.88" (3.35x2.30x2.25 cm)

Wt: 1.22 oz. (34.5g)

Mt. Malosa, Malawi, Africa

This thumbnail specimen of parisite, though incomplete and heavily damaged, is translucent to transparent in areas. Its brown color is excellent for the specie. The crystal shows a hexagonal cross section, tapered towards the top. One interesting effect - when viewed from the top, the crystal has a reflective sheen from all faces, een the tapered sides. At first, I thought that this was simply reflections from parallel (basal) growth lines along the crystal top and taper, but I cannot detect any trace of such facets with a loupe. I suspect that this is an optical effect due to inclusions (like chatoyancy).

Dims: 1.0x0.98x0.87" (2.54x2.50x2.20 cm)

Wt: 0.48 oz. (13.8g)

Mt. Malosa, Malawi, Africa

This heavily weathered thumbnail is almost all parisite. It has a hexagonal cross section which tapers slightly towards the top. The top shows no original termination, which likely weathered away. The parisite is a light brown in color, and shows basal cleavage and striations. There are additional small crystals present, all unidentified. These include tiny brown transparent crystals with a vitrious luster, milky white translucent crystals, and a few colorless transparent crystals.