KINOITE
Specimen kin-1
$ 65.00Dims: 4.2 x 3.6 x 1.5" (10.7 x 9.1 x 3.8 cm)
Wt: 1 lb., 1.2 oz. (486 g)
Christmas Mine, Gila County, Arizona, U.S.A.
This moderately large hand specimen consists of a pale cream colored, rough host rock which is partly coated with 2 separate crusts of Kinoite. The Kinoite occurs in the form of very thin, massive crusts that show no evidence of crystal form. These crusts have a color that ranges from nearly white to a moderately deep sky-blue, and are heavily encrusted with tiny calcite rhomboderons. Thus, it is nearly impossible to determine their natural luster. It is also extremely difficult to determine their level of transparence or opacity, as the crusts are extremely thin and do not extend beyond the surfaces of the host rock. There are several tiny smatterings of Kinoite scattered elswhere on the host, and with powerful magnification (at least 30x or more), one might be able to see their monoclinic form. The larger crust does show noticeable damage in the form of an impact scar near one edge.