Axinite

Axinite is an uncommon mineral in Japan and this magnificent large cabinet sized specimen is what I would call, dare I say, an ugly beauty; although beauty is, indeed, in the eye of the beholder!  A large bed of tall, well-formed spear-shaped Axinite crystals emerge vertically from a solid matrix of massive, dirty chocolate-brown Axinite.  The crystals are typically 3 to 4 cm tall with tapering cured spear-like tips and tabular cross-sections.  In general, the Axinite is very deep clove brown verging on sooty black, with a pervasive partial coating of earthy pale beige Axinite.  Where the crystals become thin towards the crystal edges, they occasionally appear translucent clove-brown, but such patches are few and far between.  Note that some crystals have been cleaved towards their bases, but these are not noticeable among the complex topography of brown and black.  Perhaps not the most aesthetic specimen, but excellent in its own right and a magnificent Axinite for Japan.