Pink Drusy Heart Beads, Cobalto Calcite from the Congo

Hey folks, it's almost Valentine's day and so I've taken a dip into pink and into hearts!

Wonderful clean surfaces with HOT pink crystals all across the front. COMPLETELY NATURAL AND UNTREATED! Very rare and beautiful. The grey host rock is sanded and polished clean. Compare with other cobalto calcite for sale on the internet! You won't find beads like this! I only had enough rough to make a total of 10 beads out of this material this year and most of them pretty small and this is one of only TWO hearts that I was able to make. Valentines Day is coming up! No idea if I'll get more of this rough material in Tucson this year....

Here's a more raspberry pink color

This is the famous pink drusy Cobalto Calcite from the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, where most of it is mined from the Kakanda Mine, Shaba Province. I try to find a few nice specimens when I am in Tucson each year although it is quite rare to find decent pieces. There is a lot of conflict and social strife in Central Africa and the export of pink crystals isn't given priority compared with the mining of tantalum and other rare metals for your cell phone and high tech devices! It is usually sold by the malachite dealers as this hot pink mineral is found in the malachite mines! There is little to no visible bruising to any of the crystals and they all REALLY sparkle! According to some metaphysical info I pulled from the internet, this stone is "calming, centering and grounding, it is used for love rituals...it's an energy amplifier said to help the body and mind remember astral travel, channeling, and the state of pure perfection. Helps clear and activate all your chakras..."

Here's the last of the larger sized ones I was able to make. A freeform...

This mineral is always a lovely light pink to dark magenta and in addition to being popularly known as Cobalto Calcite is is also known as Cobalticalcite, Sphaerocobaltite, and Cobaltian Calcite. The crystals are not hard like quartz, so don't bang these around!

I'll get the last 4 smaller ones finished in the next day or so and share pics of those here as well.

Thanks for letting me share!