Large Polished Congo Salrose Cobaltoan Calcite & Heterogenite Sphere - 100mm, 1570g

Large Polished Congo Salrose Cobaltoan Calcite & Heterogenite Sphere - 100mm, 1570g

Regular price £395.00 Sale

Locality - Democratic Repuplic of Congo
Size – 100mm
Weight – 1570g

This salrose sphere is a incredibly rare and unusual piece; since high-quality, large, solid material is hard to find, most salrose specimens are left natural and unpolished. Deeply saturated rose pink colour can be seen across most of the sphere with unique, colourful inclusions of leafy green malachite and metallic native copper, creating intricate patterns all over the surface. One side of the sphere shows a large, circular patch of dark, greyish coal black material that I believe to be heterogenite, contrasting dramatically with the lighter rose tones. Though salrose is a particularly difficult mineral to work with, it has been superbly polished with only a very slightly uneven surface due to the difference in hardness throughout the stone. An impressive, rare specimen worthy of a serious collector, this sphere is a beauty to behold and a real eye-catcher on display. A wooden sphere stand as photographed will be sent accompanying the sphere.


About Salrose

Salrose, also known as cobaltoan calcite, is a vivid pink variety of calcite containing Co2+ that is highly regarded for its attractive colour. The finest specimens come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocco. Calcite is a carbonate mineral and a major component of sedimentary rocks such as limestone as well as the primary mineral in metamorphic marble, and is one of the most abundant minerals on the Earth. It is found in an astonishingly wide variety of formations and colours, though the most common forms are rhombohedral and scalenohedral crystals with most common colours being clear to white in a transparent to opaque appearance. Calcite is often the primary constituent of the shells of many marine organisms such as plankton and bivalves.