Ephesite

A superbly rich, small cabinet specimen of the rare mica silicate Ephesite from the Postmasburg Manganese Field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.  The specimen is composed of a vuggy mass of granular and crystalline, fuchsia pink Ephesite with a partial matrix of black manganese oxides.  The Ephesite displays several crystal habits, principally as scalenohedral double terminated prisms, often barrel-like in morphology and also as hexagonal prisms with chamfered edges.  The crystals are transparent to translucent with a bright micaceous lustre.