Rhodochrosite with fluorite and pyrite — Wutong, Guangxi (279 g)

Description

This rough, irregular specimen is composed of pink to salmon-coloured rhodochrosite with lighter whitish areas and some translucent to semi‑translucent patches. The surface is granular to blocky with many broken-looking faces, and there are dark grey to black patches along one side and near the lower part; pyrite and fluorite are present as part of the material mix. The piece is shown on a grey stand and weighs 279 g, measuring 8 × 5 × 4 cm. The texture is uneven rather than worked or polished, with visible broken faces and a largely granular habit. Colour zoning from pink–salmon into paler whitish zones is apparent, and the darker patches provide contrast across the lower edge and one flank of the specimen. Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate and commonly forms in hydrothermal environments; fluorite is calcium fluoride and often occurs with a variety of minerals, while pyrite is an iron sulphide. The specimen’s recorded origin is the Wutong mine, Wuzhou, Guangxi Province, China.