TC02 Pyrochlore

Vishnevogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Southern Urals, Russia

8.0x 5.7x 3.7 cm

$600

In the mid 1990's, there was a spectacular find of lustrous pyrocholre at Vishnevogorsk.  This locality is well known for the size of the pyrochlore crystals that it has produced at other times, though this particular find was notable fur the luster and richness of the matrix pyrochlores that it produced.

One dealer at Tucson this year have about 8 of them held over from the original find, and I chose the best one.  A couple of the crystals are missing bits (virtually every single specimen from the find suffered some damage, as the pyrochlore was exceptionally brittle) though it does not affect the display.  Much better in person!  It is hard to make out the distinct crystals in the images, which is one reason why I included extra close-ups.