Strunzite

Rare strunzite on matrix from the classic Hagendorf South Pegmatite, Bavaria, Germany. The specimen shows pale yellow to cream-coloured strunzite forming delicate, fibrous to acicular crystal sprays and radiating aggregates on dark phosphate-rich matrix, displaying the characteristic silky luster of well-developed strunzite from this locality.

Strunzite is a rare phosphate mineral, first described in 1957 and named in honour of Karl Hugo Strunz (1910–2006), a German mineralogist best known for developing the modern mineral classification system. The mineral forms in granitic pegmatites as a secondary phosphate, typically under low-temperature alteration conditions.

The Hagendorf South Pegmatite is one of the world’s most important localities for secondary phosphate minerals and is especially renowned for producing outstanding fibrous and spray-like strunzite specimens. Strunzite is considered rare, and well-developed aggregates such as those present here are highly sought after by systematic collectors. 

The specimen originates from the former collection of C. Strömpl, an amateur mineralogis