Here's a bright and vividly colorful, top-quality specimen of COBALTOAN CALCITE. It is a lovely rosy pink that is absolutely delightful. The color is the result of inclusions of tiny amounts (less than 1%) of cobalt in the crystal structure, which acts as a chromophore (coloring agent). This specimen comes from the Aghbar Mine, Bou Azzer District, Ouarzazate Province, Souss-Massa-Draa Region, Morocco. It is a very choice specimen with shiny luster, bright color and excellent aesthetics, an excellent sample of this desirable mineral species from the top locality for specimens with large crystal size and good color. This piece was part of a fantastic find of pink calcite a few years ago at Bou Azzer, and material from that discovery is still making its way to market. I picked up this fine piece at the East Coast Gem Rock and Mineral Show from a wholesale dealer who was setting up the day before the show officially opened. Since I got there first, I was able to high-grade my favorites from amongst his best specimens (a fine instance of the early bird getting the worm).