A very rich specimen formed by numerous prismatic vesuvianite crystals, lustrous, transparent, and with a soft greenish hue. A very aesthetic specimen and of good size. This famous open-pit asbestos-chrysotile mine, approximately 2 km in diameter and up to 350 m deep, began exploitation in 1879. Global demand for asbestos dropped dramatically in the 1980s when its carcinogenic properties became known, and its use as a construction material was banned worldwide. In 1996, in an attempt to exploit a high-quality zone at the bottom of the mine, another attempt was made to switch to underground methods, but government subsidies dried up in 2001, and the mine has remained inactive ever since.