HAUSMANNITE
Specimen hau-5
$ 180.00Dims: 2.3" x 1.6" x 1.2" (5.8 x 4.1 x 3.8 cm)
Wt: 3.40 oz. (96.4 g)
N'Chwaning Mine, Hotazel, Kuruman, South Africa
One of the largest of these specimens that we could find, this piece is made up mostly of Hausmannite by weight. Though much of its surface is rough and shows no semblance of crystal form, there are many areas that show excellent pseudo-octahedral crystals, though all are incomplete due to their intergrowth. The largest visible crystal shows only three of its triangular faces, and these are incomplete. However, the most complete one measures nearly 0.6 along an edge (see the close-up image). Their size then decreases down to a little over 1 mm in any dimension. All have the standard black color and almost metallic, vitreous luster that is common for this mineral. They are, needless to say, opaque. Several of the more exposed crystals show considerable damage in the form of broken or abraded corners and edges. There is also a small cluster of milky-white calcites on one area of its surface- these are mostly broken, so that their initial crystal form is hard to determine.