Rosenbuschite
specimen number:
1052751
location:
Skutesundskjaer, Barkevik, Larvik, Vestfold, Norway
description: The Skutesundskjaer pegmatite, situated on a small skerry in the Langesundsfjord district near Barkevik in Vestfold, Norway, was a classic nineteenth-century open-quarry locality renowned for its highly specialized alkaline mineralogy. Geologically, the site consists of a zoned nepheline syenite pegmatite dike belonging to the Permian-age Oslo Rift magmatic province, which intruded into local basaltic rocks. The low-silica, volatile-rich chemistry of the residual magma concentrated high levels of zirconium, titanium, and rare earth elements, which led to the crystallization of highly unusual minerals, serving as the formal type locality for species like waldemarite and producing notable specimens of zircon and leucophanite hosted within a coarse feldspar and nepheline matrix. Historically, small-scale surface quarrying and mineral extraction on the islet began in the early 1800s, driven by intense interest from European mineralogists and collectors who hired local miners to blast the exposed rock. Systematic extraction and mineral collecting peaked between the 1840s and the 1890s, but commercial viability rapidly declined as the accessible pegmatite zone above the waterline was exhausted, leading to the permanent abandonment of all quarrying activities by the turn of the twentieth century. Dr. Ludwig Eger (active c. 1870-1915) was a highly respected Austrian mineral dealer based in Vienna who played a significant role in the distribution of Central European and Alpine mineral specimens during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Operating under the firm name "Dr. L. Eger," his business was situated in the heart of Vienna, a primary hub for scientific exchange during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Eger was noted for his professional, academic approach to the mineral trade, often supplying high-quality, systematic collections to universities and major museums throughout Europe and North America. His labels are easily recognized by their classic 19th-century typography, typically featuring "Dr. L. Eger, Wien" (the German name for Vienna) and providing detailed locality and species data in a formal, structured format. In addition to minerals, Eger dealt in paleontological and zoological specimens, as was common for the natural history establishments of the time.
Light pink radiating crystals embedded within matrix. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. This label gives an original acquisition date of 1910.
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