MSH is well known for numerous strange and unusual pseudomorphs. This specimen features dark bronzy iridescent “pancakes” of rutile, supposedly after ilmenite, from a pegmatite. (I don’t know if has been conclusively proven that ilmenite was the precursor. There seems to be no relict ilmenite in any of these that I have seen, and ilmenite itself has not been reported from the pegmatites here.)

In the first close-up photo (FOV 5.7 x 4.1 mm) the rutile spans 3.8 mm EW. I’m not sure just how many “pancakes” there are, but there are at least two or three stacked one on top of each other, and each of these may actually be a side-by-side pair. It’s not clear if the white albite in the middle is growing on top of the “pancakes” or if it is separating two different stacks.

The next pair of photos (FOV 3.1 x 2.4 mm) is a close-up of one of the “pancake stacks”. It spans ca 2.3 mm. Unfortuantely I wasn’t able to capture the iridescent dark bronzy luster as well as in the first photo. The rutile looks a bit too much like brown “mush” here.

Such rutile pseudomorphs are “medium rare” – not really rare but not really common either – in the pegmatite environment. Individual rutile crystals are very small – in this case about 0.1mm at most. You will need 30-50X to discern them as individuals.

In addition to the rutile and albite, there are some small olive siderite crystals (not shown).

Single item shipping weight is 3.0 oz. Outside the USA, the stated postage and packing rate applies up to a total weight of 8 oz (225 g).

Within the USA, postage now varies by destination. For total weights up to 13 oz, it ranges from $4.50 to $7.00 (including packing etc). Above 13 oz (up to 16 oz), I will use “own box” Priority Mail. The rate, including packing, varies from $8 to $10.