KAEMMERERITE
Specimen kam-11
$ 42.00Dims: 1.93x1.36x0.67" (4.91x3.44x1.70cm)
Wt: 2.05oz (58.2g)
Kop Krom Mine, Kop Daglari, Erzincan, Anatolia, Turkey
This piece of rock is coated on one side with a crust of kaemmererite, the chromium rich variety of clinochlore. It has a distinct purple color. Most of the crystals are too tiny to examine, even with a loupe, although they are all transparent. The almost fuzzy appearance of the crust is a result of the tiny crystal points roughening the surface. There are some larger, well defined crystals, the largest of which is 2½mm long and has excellent form. There is a dusting of a brown mineral that dulls the color a bit - it is really only visible using a loupe. Note that the black host rock is rather porous, and the cavities are mostly filled with more kaemmererite. In one section a loupe shows stalactitic clusters of tiny kaemmererite crystals.