Rhodochrosite Francesco Bedogné Small groups of what I

Small groups of what I call “popcorn” Calcite are overgrowing a group of “Milky” Quartz crystals

Stones that approach five carats are highly sought after by collectors and deeply appreciated by those who have experience with rare gems

you can actually see patches of beautiful soft lilac and golden-brown colored banded Agate which has filled in some of the open vugs in the wood

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the piece is the way it glows when it’s backlit

the likes of which may never be matched from any mine in Bolivia

Rhodochrosite Francesco Bedogné Small groups of what IThe various Manganese deposits in South Africa have provided a tremendous amount of Rhodochrosite with a beautiful red color, but gems are becoming very difficult to obtain these days. With that said, this Rectangle cut gem is one of the better stones of Rhodo from South Africa that I have had to offer in a while. The stone has very, very slight inclusions, but the color is a beautiful red orange with unusual "banding" that can be seen on one side.