2T1501 Pezzottaite
Sakavalana mine, Ambatovita, Mandrosonoro area, Ambatofinandrahana District, Amoron'i Mania Region, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar
2.5x 2.1x 0.8 cm
$1000

A large and deeply colored crystal of this exceedingly rare cesium-bearing mineral. The type material was discovered in Madagascar in 2002, and a very small number of morganites from Afghanistan were subsequently found to also be pezzottaite-- apart from that however, this mineral has not been found anywhere else. 

I have been to Madagascar three times, and have not had the opportunity to buy any of this material there-- of the perhaps 8 pieces I have seen in the country, none had crystals bigger than 4 mm and I am pretty sure the local dealers were just imagining the pezzottaite on a couple of them... Of course that was in Madagascar, and better pieces from the original find are available on the Western market. Even compared to those however this is a pretty good piece-- only a few of the pieces pictured on Mindat even cross the 1.5 cm mark.











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