Huanggang Mine
The Huanggang Mine (黄岗梁) in Hexigten Banner, Inner Mongolia, is one of the world's premier modern collector localities — the global benchmark for lustrous black ilvaite, green hedenbergite, and andradite garnet from an iron-tin skarn.
About Huanggang Mineextended article
A world-class skarn locality
Huanggang is an iron–tin (Fe–Sn) skarn deposit in Hexigten Banner, Inner Mongolia. Since large-scale specimen recovery began in the 2000s it has become one of the most important collector localities of the modern era, prized for the exceptional quality and variety of its skarn minerals.
What Huanggang is known for
- Ilvaite — sharp, lustrous black prismatic crystals among the world's finest
- Hedenbergite — radiating green sprays
- Andradite garnet, magnetite, and fluorite
- Arsenopyrite, datolite, babingtonite, calcite, and quartz
Collector value
Combination pieces — ilvaite or hedenbergite perched on quartz, fluorite, or calcite — are especially sought after. Crystal sharpness, metallic-to-vitreous lustre, and freedom from damage drive value; the best ilvaite specimens set the standard for the species.