MIX17B-25
Prehnite
Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos, Quebec, Canada
Cabinet, 11.1 x 7.1 x 6.4 cm
Ex. Dr. Marco Amabili
$3,500.00 Payment Plan Available
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Lustrous and translucent large crystals of prehnite to a huge 2 cm across, are nicely emplaced in a shallow vug. These are a bit more orange-toned in color than most I had seen. The large crystal as a reentrant angle that could be a twinning plane. Prehnite as a species seems to rarely form what we would call "sharp, discrete crystals" as opposed to gorgeous ball-like aggregates and rolling plates. Maybe it is because I grew up in the Midwest and saw pieces collected by Canadian friends in the 80s and 90s, but I always was partial to the Jeffrey Mine pieces as special for the species. What they lacked in color, they make up for in sharp form. In particular, this pocket produced translucent crystals of exceptional luster and quality, with a glowing beige color when moderately backlit. I have not seen them available for some time, until two pieces came up recently for sale. Pseudo-cubic, equant, lustrous and translucent crystals like this are very rare for Jeffrey, especially in such fine crystals (and from old finds!) This was traded to me from the noted collection of Dr. Marco Amabili, who probably has one of the top three collections ever assembled of Jeffrey Mine material, along with Gilles Haineult and the Royal Ontario Museum.