Stichtite pieces from Kaznakhtinskiy Range, Altay mountains, Russia

Stichtite is a mineral, a carbonate of chromium and magnesium; formula Mg6Cr2CO3(OH)16.4 H2O. The colour varies from pink to lilac to a rich purple. It is formed as an alteration product of chromium-bearing serpentine. Discovered in 1910 in western Tasmania, Australia, it was first recognised by A.S. Wesley a former chief chemist with the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, it was named after Robert Carl Sticht the manager of the mine. Stichtite is found near the Adelaide Mine, Dundas - east of Zeehan, as well as on the southern shore of Macquarie Harbour. It is exhibited in the West Coast Pioneers Museum in Zeehan. Barbertonite is a polytype of stichite.