:Locality: La Madrelena Mine, Tres Pozos, Baja California Norte, Mexico Size: 5.5 × 4.5 × 3.5 cm Largest Crystal: 1.10cm Description: Thin platy veins of lustrous and translucent, rich strawberry-colored gillespite are emplaced in beautifully color contrasting white mica-like plates of sanbornite. Gillespite is a rare barium, iron silicate and sanbornite is a barium silicate. Accompanied also by brown taramellite. This is a colorful piece of the species. Ex. Renaud Vochten (USA) collection. Collected: 1994 — Photo: Joan Rosell , from rosellminerals.com · CC BY-SA 4.0
Taramellite
Taramellite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula Ba₄(Fe³⁺,Ti)₄O₂[B₂Si₈O₂₇]Clₓ.
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pmmn).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 5.5; specific gravity 3.92; Vitreous to silky luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Tmel, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1908.
Found in metamorphic rocks rich in barium silicates, in contact with granitic rocks (Candoglia, Italy); in a metamorphosed Fe{Mn orebody (Lº a ngban, Sweden).
It is found associated with Calcite, diopside, actinolite, celsian, magnetite, chalcopyrite, pyrite (Candoglia, Italy); quartz, calcite, hematite, barylite, barite, manganoan pectolite.
The name refers to Torquato Taramelli (1845–1922), Italian geologist.