Tsavorite, Graphite & Pyrite, Tanzanite Mine, Block D, Merelani Hills, Tanzania

I was fortunate enough to visit the tanzanite mines near Merelani, Tanzania in 2010 and purchased a few mineral specimens from the miners, including this unique piece. Tsavorite is the rare, mint-green variety of grossular garnet and often forms in the same geologic environment as tanzanite. This specimen shows well-formed, but included and naturally-fractured, tsavorite crystals in matrix. The matrix itself is a mix of calcite, quartz, graphite and pyrite. I am unsure of the brown mineral, which could be zoisite or even axinite. It is very difficult to obtain matrix specimens of tsavorite so this is a rare opportunity but at an affordable price. Ex Keith Mychaluk collection (#NS-46-2). From Yu Yu's Claim, Block D, Tanzanite Mine, Merelani Hills, near Merelani, Tanzania. Dimensions: 3.5 x 5 x 5.5 cm