HEDENBERGITE
Specimen hed-3
$ 48.00Dims: 0.8 x 0.3 x 0.3" (2.0 x 0.8 x 0.8 cm)
Wt: 12 g w/ specimen box
South Mountain, Owyhee County, Idaho, U.S.A.
An aggregate of heavily-intergrown Hedenbergite crystals makes up this thumbnail piece. They are so intergrown that the piece is essentially a single crystal, so I will refer to it as such. It appears to have been cleaved down its length at one time, but has undergone considerable healing and is in very good condition. Its monoclinic prismatic form is excellent, and its aggregation has produced many small faces that are raised up from the main crystal faces. It has a black color with dark brown highlights and a dull, waxy luster, and it is completely opaque. There is no host rock present, and it is hot-glued inside a plastic thumbnail box.