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Fuchsite | Cornwall, England | Ex Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre

Name: Fuchsite | Cornwall, England | Ex Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre
Brand: Harpo's Angels
Price: 6.00 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

£6.00

Product Information

Fuchsite | Cornwall, England

A beautiful miniature Fuchsite specimen with soft green colouring and a naturally shimmering, micaceous surface. This piece comes from a former display at Cornwall's Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre and retains its original identification label, making it an interesting addition to any British mineral collection.

Specimen Description

This compact specimen displays delicate shades of pale mint green, silvery green and deeper mossy tones across its naturally uneven surface.

Fine, reflective mica flakes give the specimen a subtle sparkle as the light catches its surface. The mineral has a flattened, roughly rectangular appearance, with visible layered edges characteristic of mica-rich material.

Small areas of brownish host material can be seen along the edges, contrasting with the green mineralisation.

Its miniature size makes it particularly suitable for a mineral display cabinet or a collection dedicated to Cornwall's geological heritage.

About the Mineral | Fuchsite

Fuchsite is a chromium-rich variety of muscovite mica, belonging to the mica group of sheet silicate minerals.

Its distinctive green colour results from chromium substituting for aluminium within the mineral's crystal structure.

Like other micas, Fuchsite has perfect basal cleavage, meaning it can separate into thin, flexible sheets. Its pearly to vitreous lustre creates the characteristic shimmering appearance visible across this specimen.

Fuchsite commonly develops in chromium-bearing metamorphic rocks, particularly where suitable mineral chemistry and geological conditions are present.

Mineral Group: Mica (Muscovite variety)

Crystal System: Monoclinic

Mohs Hardness: Approximately 2–2.5

Lustre: Pearly to vitreous

Cornish Mining Heritage | Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre

This specimen is accompanied by an original display label identifying it as Fuchsite from the Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre.

The Mineral Tramways heritage is closely associated with the historic mining districts surrounding Camborne, Redruth and Portreath in West Cornwall.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Cornwall became internationally important for copper and tin production. As mining expanded, a network of tramways and mineral railways developed to transport ore, coal and mining supplies between inland mines, processing sites and coastal ports.

Among the best-known routes was the Portreath Tramroad, opened in 1812, which connected the copper-mining district around Scorrier with Portreath harbour.

These transport networks played an important role in the development of Cornwall's mining economy, allowing mineral production to expand beyond the limitations of horse-drawn road transport.

Today, sections of these historic routes form part of the Mineral Tramways heritage trail network, preserving an important element of Cornwall's industrial landscape.

This specimen's former display association provides an interesting connection to the interpretation and preservation of Cornish mining history.

The specimen is supplied as originating from Cornwall, but its exact mine or geological collection site has not been recorded. Its former display association does not establish where the mineral was originally extracted.