Rhodochrosite

The Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado, is known for producing some of the finest rhodochrosite crystals. The mine originally opened for silver in the 1870s, but it became much better known for its deep red to pink rhodochrosite found in underground pockets.

The SHL Pocket is part of the mine’s specimen mining history, when collectors specifically searched for these crystals rather than silver ore. Sweet Home Mine closed in 2004, making its pocket specimens part of a significant chapter in Colorado mineral collecting.