Search Archived Mineral Specimens
- Availability
- Sold
- Locality
- Tip Top mine, Custer Co., South Dakota, United States
- Formula
- Li8(Ca,Li,K)10.5Be24(PO4)24·38H2O
- Size
- Thumbnail 2x1x1.5cm
- Tagged
- phosphate , beryllium , pegmatite mineral
- Special Info
- Type & Only Locality
Pahasapaite is one of the rarest minerals on Earth. It is one of five minerals with beryllium, lithium, and phosphorous in its composition and has a zeolitic structure. Tiptopite, also on this specimen is one of the five Be, Li, P minerals. Pahasapaite is also isometric, unlike most other phosphates found in pegmatites. It is usually faint pink to pink to slight orange. On this specimen, there are at least two euhedral faint pink crystals to about 0.3mm and a layer of stronger pink crystalline Pahasapaite about 2mm long seen on the side underneath a layer of Englishite and Roscherite. Beryl matrix.
By all accounts, this is a very good specimen, with crystals easily seen with a good microscope. The Pahasapaite came out during the 1980's and the pit has since flooded. I own the claims, but have not attempted to dewater, due to many complications (too many alligators).
- Availability
- Sold
- Locality
- Tip Top mine, Custer Co., South Dakota, United States
- Formula
- Li8(Ca,Li,K)10.5Be24(PO4)24·38H2O
- Size
- Thumbnail 1.3x0.7x0.9cm
- Tagged
- phosphate , beryllium , pegmatite mineral
- Special Info
- Type & Only Locality
Pahasapaite is amongst the rarest of minerals in the world. Very few specimens have come out of its type locality, the Tip Top mine. Furthermore, it has yet to be found elsewhere since it's discovery in the 1980's. On this specimen the Pahasapaite occurs in three areas. Two of these are shown in the photos as light pink, glassy crystals less than 1mm. The third location on the specimen is smaller and somewhat hidden. It is associated with Roscherite and Tiptopite. This is small 1cm specimen, and eventhough the price is hefty, rest assured you are not likely to see another on the market. The mine itself is flooded and in all likelyhood never be mined again.
- Availability
- Sold
- Locality
- Tip Top mine, Custer Co., South Dakota, United States
- Formula
- Li8(Ca,Li,K)10.5Be24(PO4)24·38H2O
- Size
- Miniature 4.5x2.5x4.5cm
- Tagged
- phosphate , beryllium , pegmatite mineral
- Special Info
- XRD Confirmed
- Special Info
- EDS Confirmed
- Special Info
- Type & Only Locality
- Special Info
- Author's Material
Pahasapaite is one of the rarest minerals on Earth. It is only found at the Tip Top mine, and thus the type and only locality where it is found. The close-up photos show exactly where the glassy, pink crystals of Pahaspaite occur. This specimen shows more Pahasapaite than most others that I have seen, an area of 6x4mm. There are probably less than twenty or so in collections. It is nearly impossible to find one on the market these days. As is usual, it is associated with Tiptopite, Roscherite, and Englishite on Beryl matrix.
The specimen is one of the study pieces used for describibng the new mineral by Thomas Campbell and Willard Roberts at the School of Mines in Rapid City. It carries a Museum of Geology tag and also has a tag stating "New pink mineral".
- Availability
- Sold
- Locality
- Tip Top mine, Custer Co., South Dakota, United States
- Formula
- Li8(Ca,Li,K)10.5Be24(PO4)24·38H2O
- Size
- Thumbnail 0.5x0.3x0.1cm
- Tagged
- beryllium , pegmatite mineral
- Special Info
- Type & Only Locality
A little 5mm chip with a seam composed two outer layers of Englishite and Tiptopite. In-between the two layers are three crystals of light pink Pahasapaite. The crystal shown in the photos is approximately 0.75mm with sharp cubic faces. The other two crystals are the same but not as well exposed, which made photography very hard. Fliping this little chip around was a delicate operation, and I didn't want to damage it. But yes there are three crystals all in a row!!
It's funny, but when I was photographing the original specimen, which was an 8cm specimen, I thought I lost the red arrow. No big deal, I just went back to the scope to place another arrow on the specimen. With frustration, I could not find the Pahasapaite. However, I did find another, albeit, an inferior crystal. Back to the camera I went and began the process all over. To my surprise was this little chip with the attached red arrow on the glass. I couldn't believe it, but when this chip popped off, it exposed the three crystals much better. In the end, I got a much better specimen to sell.
- Availability
- Sold
- Locality
- Molinello mine, Graveglia Valley, Liguria, Italy
- Formula
- NaCa2Mn2+2(VO4)3
- Size
- Miniature 3.5x2x1cm
- Special Info
- Type Locality
Dark red masses with striated crystals to 1mm in a 5 x 20mm vein. This is most likely the better of just nine or ten worldwide localities for this rare manganese vanadate.
- Availability
- Sold
- Locality
- Molinello mine, Graveglia Valley, Liguria, Italy
- Formula
- NaCa2Mn2+2(VO4)3
- Size
- Miniature 4.5x3.5x3.5cm
- Tagged
- vanadate
- Special Info
- Type Locality
Deep, deep red resinous crystalline Palezonaite to 2cm long in cherty braunite matrix. Actually for the mineral, it's a good specimen.
