This is a true rarity, the likes of which I had never seen or heard of before for the locale: PURPLE prehnite crystals, supposedly colored by the same agent (manganese) that also makes vesuvianite from here go purple occasionally. The crystals have a definite lavender color in person, and are perched on a plate of minutely crystallized grossular garnet matrix. At the edge of the plate, brilliant, deep green garnets to 2 or 3 mm form a sparkling contrast to the prehnites. These sharply crystallized prehnites, to 3 cm long and tapered like chisels, are exceptional for the species and locality. And, they seem quite unique. This specimen is from the collection of Dr. Franco Spertini (spertiniite), the mine geologist during the heyday of this operation (now, sadly, defunct and closed). As a side note, we purchased a number of the specimens from this collection for a future update on this site...but there is no other like this. This is a significant and unique Canadian specimen....and a world's best for purple prehnite.