Brookita
Brookita is a mineral with formula TiO₂, in the Óxidos group. This specimen comes from Ras Koh Mountains, Kharan, Kharan District, Balochistan, Pakistán.
Description
Isolated brookite crystal, tabular and very slender, with acute termination and sharp edges. Deep wine-red colour, excellent transparency and visible internal zoning. Perfect thumbnail.
History of this specimen
From an earlier German collection attributed to the Haller surname of Villingen-Schwenningen. The seller told me the collection was put up for sale by the owner's son, who unfortunately has little information about the pieces.
About Brookita
Along with rutile and anatase, one of the three polymorphs of titanium dioxide. For a long time it was valued more for crystallographic interest than for aesthetics, but recent finds of very transparent, coloured crystals have made it much more sought after. At Kharan it stands out for the uncommon combination of sharp habit, transparency and internal reddish colour.
About the locality
Kharan. A modern reference locality for translucent dark-red brookite. The material comes from a desert district of Balochistan that in recent decades has yielded very aesthetic, slender and well-defined crystals, quite different from classic Alpine or British brookite. Its collector interest lies in the presentation of an isolated, almost suspended crystal, with a strong response when backlit. It remains an important locality today, but not all material attains this clarity and colour saturation.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0297
- Composition
- TiO₂
- Name
- Brookita
- Group
- Óxidos
- Category
- Estélites
- Mine
- Ras Koh Mountains
- District / Municipality
- Kharan
- Province
- Kharan District
- Region
- Balochistan
- Country
- Pakistán
- Size (cm)
- 2.4 x 1.3
- Weight
- 6 g
- Ex-collection
- Haller
- Etymology
- Named in honour of Henry James Brooke (1771–1857), English crystallographer and mineralogist.
- Quality
- Muy buena
- Value trend
- Estable
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