A great miniature example of a Broken Hill NSW Rhodonite crystal in association with many smaller crystals in shiny Silver bearing Galena. These are found in the sulphide zone of the Broken Hill silver-lead mines.

It is found as either a crystal with the characteristic rounded edges of Rhodonite, or as isolated fragments disseminated through the ore; it generally shows evidence of corrosion by the metalliferous solutions, and various stages of replacement by Galena and Blende may be traced.

Due to the Galena having a hardness of 2.5-3, this specimen has to be held with care as the Galena could easily shatter. This specimen has a nicely terminated crystal on the underside which is not seen in the above 360° crystal photo. More photos will be added soon.

I acquired this specimen from Peter Beckwith at Crystal Habit (now Kristallen) at the September 2016 Central Coast Crystal Festival.