Behoite is a rare mineral at MSH and very rare world-wide. It is known from several quarries in Norway, three in Texas (including the TL), two in the Kola peninsula, and one each in China, Greenland, and Utah. But by far the largest and best specimens come from MSH. This is a superb example. Altogether, the behoite spans ca 11 x 7 x 2-4 mm. You will not see many such.
The first pair of photos (FOV 2.25 x 3.25 mm) is a close-up of the best-terminated crystals on the specimen. The tallest of these crystals is 1.9 mm high. There are considerably larger crystals on the specimen. Some are also well-terminated, but most have “serrated” or somewhat “fringed” terminations. There are two stereo child photos (at half the magnification) showing these other crystals. But the reticulated twinning makes for very busy photographs, so it’s not easy to distinguish individual crystals. The crystals in this photo “stand up” from the “backbone” of the aggregate so that I was able to photograph them clearly against a contrasting dark background. (Strictly speaking, all the "crystals" are part of a single, reticulated, individual.)
You will also notice that while the crystals look essentially colorless in this photo, they appear almost golden in the next pair of close-up photos (FOV4.25 x 6.7 mm). So what is the “true” color? It depends on the lighting and the scale! Hand held, in ambient light, the behoite will look pale tan. Relative to the full-view photos, this pair depicts the left hand side of the behoite aggregate.
The next pair of photos (FOV 4.3 x 6.3 mm) shows the right hand side of the reticulated behoite aggregate.
The last two pairs of photos are (nearly) full-views of the specimen from slightly different angles of view. In these photos, the behoite looks pinkish, in part because of small blobs and crystals of rhodochrosite that are mixed in. In addition, there is nearly black aegirine and two types of natrolite, one that is heavily twinned but glassy and unalterede, and another that is untwinned but milky white, probably due gonnardite.
Altogether, the behoite spans ca 11 x 7 x 2-4 mm.
Single item shipping weight (with TN case) is 3.1 oz (88 g). For shipments outside the USA, up to a total weight < 8 oz (225g), this can be combined with other items from this or other auctions for the same postage. If you don’t need the TN case, you can save about 0.3 oz in weight which could be used for something else.
Within the USA, postage for total weights up to 13 oz ranges from $4.25 to $6.50 (including packing etc) regardless of destination. Above 13 oz, I will use “own box” Priority Mail. The rate, including packing, varies by destination from $7.25 to $9.50.
