SOLD
PRE22-35
Prehnite with Quartz and Phenakite
Goboboseb Mts., Brandberg Area, Daures Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia
Thumbnail, 3.1 x 2.5 x 2.1 cm
Ex. Charlie Key
SOLD

This is a gorgeous combination and competitive thumbnail-sized specimen of Prehnite from the Goboboseb Mountains of Namibia; and it comes from Charlie Key's private collection. Charlie was a legendary dealer, and specialist in Namibian minerals as well as prehnite in particular. This colorful and aesthetic little wonder features a translucent, bright apple-green, composite bundle of Prehnite crystals accented by a few faintly amethystine Quartz crystals; and the real prize is a single, well-formed, translucent, off-white, twinned Phenakite crystal on the side of the Prehnite! The Prehnite aggregate measures 3.1 cm in length and is a tight, sheaf-like bundle composed of dozens of thin, tabular crystals in parallel growth. There is a slight "waist" to the bundle making it almost bow-tie in appearance. The trio of clear, amethystine Quartz crystals are in random orientation at the base of the Prehnite and range in size from 1.3 to 2.5 cm in length. The amazing contributor to this piece is the standalone, twinned, 1 cm, perfectly formed, cloudy to translucent and very lustrous Phenakite crystal. To our knowledge, Phenakite has not been reported from the crystal lined amygdules from the ancient lava flows in this area.