Home > Franklin Type Species – December 26 > MS1017 Cahnite

Cahnite - Sold


Cahnite is a great rarity first found at Franklin. The mineral name honors Lazard Cahn (1865-1940), mineral collector and dealer of Colorado Springs. Palache (1921) first announced the mineral name, while its complete description appeared six years later (Palache & Bauer 1927). Cahnite is a calcium borate arsenate with unusual 4 symmetry (Prewitt & Buerger, 1961). Here cahnite forms colorless pseudotetrahedral crystals to 1.5 mm in a cavity in andradite matrix. Also associated are colorless calcite crystals and minute white barite crystals. Raman spectroscopy confirms the cahnite identification.

This specimen was part of the personal collection of Ralph Merrill, proprietor of the prolific mail order business Minerals Unlimited. Ralph obtained this specimen from Jack Jago (jagoite) in 1960. Merrill's collection card and label also ship with the specimen.