RHODOCHROSITE WITH PYRITE

Located in the Aomori Prefecture, in the far north of Japan's Honshu island, the Oppu Mine is one of the most famous Japanese localities in the mineral collecting world solely from the quality rhodochrosite that came from there. Here one can see richly colored botryoidal crystals layered across a sulfide matrix, with the underlying layer of pyrite visible in patches where the rhodochrosite stopped forming. The mine's primary operational lifespan lasted from back in the 17th century until 1979. Specimens of this style typically date to pre-WWII times, if not late 1800's, and examples of this size are rarely available. Oppu rhodochrosite is always highly sought after, and this is an exceptionally showy example why!

For reference, this specimen was valued by a former dealer at $7,000 a few years back, and they've only gotten rarer since then.