Dragon Minerals - April 26, 2026 Update

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32601: Columbite-(Fe) - $80
IpĂȘ Mine, Golconda Mining District, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Miniature - 5.0 x 3.9 x 2.6 cm
205 grams
Specimen status: Available
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A complete, blocky/tabular, well-formed and lustrous columbite-(Fe) crystal, fairly large for the species/locality. Columbite forms a solution series with tantalite but the end members can be differentiated by specific gravity. The measured specific gravity for this sample (5.69) is a much better fit for the columbite end member (reported specific gravity 5.26-6.5) than for the tantalite end member (reported specific gravity 6.65-7.95). The specimen shows no tinge of red color, so it more closely fits columbite-(Fe) instead of columbite-(Mn). Specific gravity also rules out tapiolite (reported specific gravity 7.35-7.37), with which columbite-tantatlite specimens may be misidentified. Minor muscovite and feldspar. A large specimen for the species/locality. Self standing and in excellent condition, Previous dealer label gives a 1951 acquisition date.







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