Parisite-(Ce) Locality: Muzo Mine, Muzo , Vasquez-Yacopí Mining District, Boyacá Department , Colombia ( Locality at mindat.org ) Size: 6.3 x 5.0 x 3.5 cm. A fat, pear-shaped, translucent, 1.6-cm Parisite-(Ce) perched nicely in quartz/shale matrix from this, the classic locality for the species! It is a beautiful crystal, really nice in color, and also happens to be illustrated in the F. JOHN BARLOW collection book, page 163. His collection number 5741 on the back. Although these were mined here as far back as Spanish colonial times, still to this day few other localities for crystals of comparable quality have been found. This is, in fact, the type locality for the species as well. — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Parisite-(Ce)
Parisite is a rare mineral consisting of cerium, lanthanum and calcium fluoro-carbonate, Ca(Ce,La)2(CO3)3F2. Parisite is mostly parisite-(Ce), but when neodymium is present in the structure the mineral becomes parisite-(Nd). It is found only as crystals, which belong to the trigonal or monoclinic pseudo-hexagonal system and usually have the form of acute double pyramids terminated by the basal planes; the faces of the hexagonal pyramids are striated horizontally, and parallel to the basal plane there is a perfect cleavage. The crystals are hair-brown in color and are translucent.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Parisite-(Ce) is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the carbonate class, with the chemical formula CaCe₂(CO₃)₃F₂.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group R3). It is a member of the Parisite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 4.5; specific gravity 4.33; Pale yellow streak; Vitreous to resinous, pearly on {0001} parting luster; optically uniaxial.
IMA symbol Pst-Ce, IMA status: approved, named in 1845.
An accessory mineral in differentiated alkalic massifs, granite pegmatites, and RE-rich carbonatites.
It is found associated with Bastnäsite, synchysite, cordylite, ancylite, calcite, fluorite, quartz.
The mineral was named to honor J.J. Paris, Manager of the emerald mine at Muzo, Colombia.