ILVAITE is not a rare mineral, but there are not many places that produce good crystals. Then, in late 2010, a new locality in Mongolia started producing specimens of Ilvaite, the best of which are an order of magnitude better than those from any other locality, including the old-world, classic location on the Isle of Seriphos, Greece. The new location is in Bayon Obo, Baotou League, Inner Mongolia, China. This specimen is a very large, chubby single crystal, with a big polycrystalline termination. The color is a rich jet black, and has a brilliant metallic sheen. There is absolutely no damage to this remarkable crystal. There were several dealers at the Tucson Gem Rock and Mienral Show this year who had specimens from the new find, and I picked this one from the inventory of the one dealer who had both the highest quality crystals and the most reasonable price. This is one of the best from that lot.