VILLIAUMITE SPECIMENS

Villiaumite is a rare halide mineral and the Na (sodium) analogue of carobbiite. It occurs in rock of nepheline-syenite composition and can bear red, pink, and orange coloration. Many specimens' bright red colors can be attributed to "radiation damage" to the crystal. Some notable locations of villiaumite formation include Minas Gerais in Brazil, Greenland, Kenya, Namibia, Russia, Norway, and the United States. It is named after the French explorer Maxime Villiaume, who collected this material from the Los Islands in Guinea.