A very unusual rhodochrosite, from a find made in the mid 1990"s. Botryoidal rhodochrosite is known from a few places, particularly a few long closed localities in Germany and Japan. Where these differ most however, is in the depth of the red color. More often than not, botryoidal rhodochrosite tends to be a very light pink. At Ushkatyn, it is nearly maroon. Actually, I cannot think of another location that has quite this color of rhodochrosite, be it crystalline or botryoidal. This specimen is rather unique because you can actually see the many small crystals that have formed in an almost compressed manner, making the specimen appear botryoidal. On most of these pieces, the individual crystals are indistinguishable. This interesting material is not often available, and while I don"t expect them to sell particularly quickly, they were just too cool to pass up.