SOLD
SM20-248
Benitoite and Neptunite with Natrolite
Gem Mine, Santa Rita Peak, San Benito Co., California, USA
Cabinet, 17.0 x 11.2 x 6.0 cm
SOLD

A four-colored marvel of a cabinet specimen, rich for the size and price range! This piece features a really engaging combined salt and pepper texturing and mottling of blue Benitoite, black Neptunite, white Natrolite and greenish Serpentinite. The benitoite occurs as well-formed, periwinkle blue, triangular-shaped crystals and granular crystalline aggregates mixed among some damaged segments and masses of benitoite. Several of the Benitoite crystals are incredibly lustrous, very well formed and range between 4mm and 1.3cm. Some of the aggregates are up to 3cm across. The Neptunites are slender prismatic, almost jet-black, lustrous and from 1mm to 1.3cm in length. Snow-white Natrolite provides the perfect contrasting background for these minerals and is present in all the right places! The Serpentine matrix provides color variation too with its greenish color. Although it is not pristine, it is overall a dramatic display piece if you want a big example that does not break the bank, and also may have some cutting rough in it! Because of the size, we have decided to leave this big for museum or display purchasers, although you can trim it to a core miniature with perfect sharp crystals that would be worth a similar amount. Ex. Thomas Frisbie collection with label from 1981.

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