An industrial metal, manganese is widely used to render desirable properties to steel such as strength and resistance to corrosion. However, it is much less commonly reduced to a pure state as it's also finicky to work with in this form. In particular, at high temperatures the metal is notoriously sensitive to oxidation. The very slightest trace of oxygen can spoil acres of its surface making for especially difficult procedures if one were to seek pristine surfaces.

Gleaming white manganese is hard to come by but we go out of our way to find the most attractive types :-)