Lueshite - fine crystal, type locality
stock #23.1-627
Lueshe Mine, Bwito, Rutshuru Territory
North Kivu Province,
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
0.7 x 0.5 x 0.6 (thumbnail)
price: $160
Pre Tucson
A single, sharp black crystal of Lueshite from the type locality. This is a super fine crystal of this very rare Niobium-Sodium specie. The form is pseudo-cubic as the crystal system is actually orthorhombic, but for all practical purposes these look perfectly like simple cubes. The mineral has been found in a few other localities but only this mine during the 1990 era and the famed Pudrette Quarry in Quebec ever produced good crystals. The Canadian specimens tend to be smaller and often look more octahedral or crude. Today more or less impossible to find on the market except from breakup of old collections.
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