Axinite-(Fe) with Quartz

The Obira mine is situated on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu in Oita Prefecture and worked Cu-Zn-As-Sn veins in a skarn associated with a granite intrusion.  The mine produced many specimen-grade minerals, amongst which is this fine Axinite-(Fe) with Quartz.  This excellent specimen is from the Dr Joseph Clemente (1899-1987) Collection of southern Germany, a collection which lay dormant for the past 34 years.  Covering a bed of more massive, anhedral Axinite matrix, perfectly developed Axinite-(Fe) crystals to 1.5 x 1.2 cm cover the surface, all with opaque cores and translucent outer crystalline surface layers.  Their colour is a variable clove-brown which grades from creamy-clove to dark chocolate-brown.  Across and amongst this dense coverage of Axinite-(Fe) crystals are scattered elegant, long, slim parallel prisms of greyish-milky Quartz to 3.5 cm long, with short, perfectly pyramidal hexagonal terminations.  The Quartz has a bright glassy lustre, similar to that of the Axinite.  An impressive Axinite-(Fe), enhanced greatly by the addition of Quartz crystals from this seldom encountered locality in southern Japan. This cabinet specimen comes with a Dr F. Krantz of Bonn stock label and was purchased by Dr Clemente in 1972.