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Pääkkönenite Rare species collections.
Sb
2AsS
3
Pääkkönenite is a fairly rare mineral and some number of specimens were discovered as an association with the spectacular new kermesites (2002) from China. I think these have proved to be the best specimens discovered thus far. To put things in perspective, here are some comments from long time rare species dealer Tony Nikishire. “We had some pääkkönenite some years ago (1994), discovered inadvertently in some stibarsen specimens from Pribram that we were being analyzed. …It’s a “Two Star” rarity (3 is the rarest) relative to the rest of the species…but likely more common than more people think as it easily passes for other things and escapes detection unless some analytical process is used to find it. I don’t think it could command the prices it did 8 or 10 years ago.” There are currently about six localities where this mineral has been found.
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1 Tony Nikishire, Excalibur Mineral Corp. personal communication 2002.
[Rock Currier, 8 December 09]
Pääkkönenite
China
Henan, Nanyang Prefecture, Xixia, Lushi, Lushi Antimony Mine.
This locality is better known for the large world class kermesite crystals that it has produced than its pääkkönenite specimens. So far it would appear that the pääkköneite has been recognized on only a few specimens of well crystallized stibnite and kermesite from the locality. The specimen was trimmed a little to make the it more saleable before it was known that the specimen contained the rare mineral. The original specimen on which this new find was discovered was on a crust were well crystallized stibnite and kermesite were associated with sharp micro crystals of yellow valentinite. The Pääkkönenite on this specimen consists of a shiny crust of the mineral which under 10 to 30 x magnification can be seen to consist of polygonal tiles consisting of shiny flat lying, subparallel bundles needle like crystals. The other minerals were found growing on the pääkkönenite. This would be only the third locality for this particular mineral and probably the best so far. Undoubtedly much more of the mineral has been mined and gone unrecognized by the miners and thus far (Jan 2003) the Chinese dealers who have visited the mine. A few hundred specimens of this material would completely saturate the market because the market for rare species is rather thin.
[Rock Currier, 8 December 09]
Pääkkönenite
Czech Republic
Bohemia, Pribram
Pääkkönenite has been found here in stibarsene “This rare species occurs as submicroscopic bundles of straw-like prismatic crystals in stibarsen. It was found on a single specimen mined prior to 1940; the mineral has been confirmed by both X-Ray and microprobe analysis. Tiny fragments in a capsule @ 60.00; matrix specimen with copies of three or more photomicrographs from 0.4 to 1.5 cm @ 85.00, 120.00, 150.00 and 200.00 each.”
1 Prices are in $US.
1 Tony Nikishire, Excalibur Mineral Corp. personal communication 2002.
[Rock Currier, 8 December 09]
Pääkkönenite
Finland
Seinäjoki Ore Region, Kalliosalo Deposit
“The mineral occurs in irregular grains up to 0.4 mm in size in the Kalliosalo deposit, associated with arsenopyrite and loelligite. …Color dark gray, streak gray with a slight brownish tint, luster metallic. Readily scratched by a Cu needle, brittle, one cleavage. Fine polysynthetic twinning present. In reflected light pale gray, strongly anisotropic, birefringence weak. … Internal reflections bright red. …The name is for the late Viekko Pääkkön, who studied ore deposits of the region. Type material is at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Acad. Sci. USSR, Moscow.”
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1 American Mineralogist, Vol. 67, 1982 p. 858.
[Rock Currier, 8 December 09]
Pääkkönenite
USA
California, San Diego Co., Cryo Genie Mine
The specimen pictured above is from a pegmatite mine much better known for the pink and green tourmaline specimens it produces. Pääkkönenite has recently been identified from there in only a few specimens (less than six), all inside of quartz crystals. Tony Kampf of the Los Angeles Co. Museum of Natural History identified the mineral. A specimen at the Los Angeles County Museum is a tabular doubly terminated quartz crystal containing an eye visible spray of shiny black spray of needles included mostly in the quartz but with a few of them sticking out of one of the broad flat prism faces.
[Rock Currier, 8 December 09]
Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.
Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2009 02:06AM by Rock Currier.
