Rhodochrosite
Our Rhodochrosite is from Colorado. Either from the Sweet Home Mine in Alma, CO or from the Silverton Mining District in southwesrern Colorado.
Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate mineral. Its chemical composition is MnCO3. In its purest form it is a transparent rose red, but this is fairly rare. It can also be formed in stalactites. This form can be sliced revealing circular layers of rose and pink to milky white. These lighter colors are formed when the manganese is replaced by calcium, manganese or zinc. The depth of color from red to pink depends on the amount of substitution.
Rhodochrosite has a Mohs harness scale between 3.5 and 4 and its streak is white. Its crystal formation is rhombohedral, meaning it is like a cube, but squished to form and equal-sided parallogram or rhombus shape on its sides. Rhodochrosite cleaves perfectly along each of the three planes that form the rhombohedral shape..