Mineral Collection Images

My Mineral Collection, Systematic Tectosilicates Page

These are my tectosilicates - they're often called framework silicates and include the zeolites (at least 48 naturally occuring and many more synthetic ones) and feldspars. Zeolites are a $2 million / year worldwide industry.
Tectosilicates on Other Pages
See my quartz page - the mineralogists haven't decided whether to include quartz with the tectosilicates or oxides. Maricopaite's on my lead minerals page.
Tectosilicate Info
Brewsterite and chabazite now refer to series of minerals - if unspecified, brewsterite is almost always brewsterite-Sr and chabazite is usually chabazite-Ca. In addition to the zeolites, the tectosilicates include the feldspars, a major rock-forming group of minerals: the potassium feldspars; orthoclase and microcline the sodium-lime series feldspars: albite, oligoclase, andesine, labradorite, bytownite, and anorthite. These often have colorful schillers. When molten, the sodium and calcium are homogenous; as the melt crystallizes, the two silicates separate into interference-creating layers - these layers cause the beautiful flashes of color in moonstone and labradorite. The moonstone schiller is more-or-less monochromatic (usually blue) because its layers are much more orderly (thickness-wise) than the labradorite.
Specimens on This Page (links take you to either the first or only specimen)
afghanite, albite (and varieties pericline, peristerite), and peristerite subvariety larvikite), analcime, anorthite (variety labradorite), anorthoclase (and variety sun-moon stone bikitaite, boggsite, brewsterite-Sr, brewsterite-Ba, buddingtonite, bytownite cancrinite, chabazite (and varieties acadialite, phacolite), chabazite-Mg, chkalovite, clinoptilolite, clinoptilolite-K, cowlesite dachiardite-Ca, dachiardite-Na, danalite, danburite edingtonite, epistilbite, erionite fantappieite, farneseite, ferrierite garronite, genthelvite, gmelinite, gonnardite, goosecreekite harmotone, haüyne, helvite, herschelite, heulandite kalsilite lazurite, leifite, levyne, liottite marialite, meionite, merlinoite, mesolite (and variety pseudomesolite), microcline (variety amazonite), mordenite (and variety arduinite)# natrolite offretite, oligoclase (varieties sunstone), orthoclase (and varieties adularia and subvariety valencianite) perthite, petalite, phillipsite, pollucite reedmergnerite, roggianite sanidine, scapolite, scolecite, sodalite (and variety hackmanite), stellerite, stilbite (and a classic Pennsylvania stilbite) tetranatrolite, thomsonite (and variety lintonite), tschernichite, tugtupite ussingite willhendersonite, wilsonite vishnevite yugawaralite

51 Rows
Afghanite A miniature of light-blue afghanite (a complex silicate of the cancrinite group) with dark-blue sodalite and a little pyrite from the type locality of Sar-e-Sang, Badakhstan, Afghanistan. Thanks to John Sobolewski's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Albite Usually, albite is undistinguished in appearance, but the moonstones and occasionally a thumbnail like this chlorite-included green albite from Calaveras County, California make beautiful specimens. Albite is a member of the feldspar group and is the aluminum analog of reedmergnerite. Thanks to Justin Zzyzx's (ZzyzxMinerals auction on eBay for the specimen!	Albite A nice miniature of sharp white albite crystals on matrix from Gilgit, Pakistan. There's also a yellow-orange fluorescing gray manganapatite (larger image, center, bottom present.). Thanks to Kamran Jameel's (Khyber Mineral Company) auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 2
Albite, var. Pericline An excellent specimen of pericline (albite elongated on the macrodiagonal, i.e., the longer of the two lateral (short) axes of the crystal) from Gamsberg Pass, Namibia. Thanks to Dave Hayward at Lucky Strike Minerals for the specimen and the image!	Albite, var. Peristerite Peristerite, or albite moonstone, is named after the Greek word for pigeon because of the iridescent flash of its neck feathers. The blue schiller (closeup) is due to fine microscopic crystals (larger crystals produce white schiller) of two feldspar varieties forming interference layers like that in labradorite and adularia. The proportions of the two feldspars are different in all three, thus the different colors. Thanks to Sharon Burnett's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Albite, var. Peristerite An excellent miniature of peristerite and smoky quartz from the pegmatite at Chupa Bay, Korelia Republic, Russia. The closeup shows a transparent section of the peristerite that still retains its blue schiller! Thanks to Darrel Merke's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 3
Albite, var. Peristerite A large cabinet specimen of peristerite from Villenueve, Canada with two old labels, one from the collection of Dr. Latieux. Thanks to Steve & Susan Bringe's (Summit Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen!	Albite, var. Peristerite, var. Larvikite Peristerite can sometimes occur in granite - one of the best known granites with moonstone is called larvikite or Norwegian Moonstone. This is a beautiful polished slab from Larvik, Norway. Thanks to John Lichter's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Analcime Analcime, like garnet, forms dodecahedral crystals, usually white or colorless. These, from the Silver Peak District, Nevada, share a matrix with colorless calcites and barites. Analcime's another one of the zeolites and it forms a series with pollucite. Thanks to Chris Korpi at Pangaea Minerals for the specimen!
Row 4
Analcime Sometimes analcime is transparent and colorless like this miniature from Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. There's also some aegerine, siderite, and (larger image, right) some bright white tetranatrolite, yet another zeolite. Thanks to Darrel Merke's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Analcime A beautiful pearly white floater of analcime from Mont St. Hilaire. Thanks to Walter Mroch's (The Gem and Mineral Exploration Company) auction for the specimen and the image!	Analcime Occasionally analcime is colored by impuries - this sharp reddish-brown miniature is from Five Islands, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Thanks to Frank Butler's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 5
Analcime This thumbnail of analcime in matrix is colored by copper minerals. It was collected in the late 1970s by Frank Butler.Copper Falls copper mine, Eagle Harbour, located in northern Keweenaw County, Michigan. Thanks to Frank P. Butler's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Analcime Petroleum inclusions give this anacime thumbnail a bluish tint - it's from a hot springs sinter deposit in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Thanks to Walter Mroch's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Anorthite, var. Labradorite Labradorescence is iridescence due to the interference of light by reflection from parallel inclusions or between twinned layers. This miniature of 50 - 70% anorthite / 50 - 30% albite (labradorite) is probably from Madagascar.
Row 6
Anorthite, var. Labradorite A small cabinet piece of AAA+ labradorite from Ampandrandrava, Bekily, Madagscar - most of the jewelry-grade material comes from there. Thanks to Debbie Woolf's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Anorthite, var. Labradorite var. Spectrolite Labradorite from Finland is called "SpectroliteTM" - it occurs on a black matrix, making the play of colors stand out even more. This unpolished slab is from a mine in Southeast Finland in the county of Ylämaa. Thanks to Korukivihiomo Kiurunen's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Anorthoclase A strange, elongated twinned crystal of anorthoclase (a member of the feldspar group and the midmember of the microcline and orthoclase series) without matrix from Mt. Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica! The crystals occur inside volcanically-ejected "bombs" which then weather away to expose the anorthoclase. There's more pictures at Jim Rogers' Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA) 13 Dec 1999 Journal. Thanks to Tony Nikischer at the Excalibur Mineral Company for the specimen!
Row 7
Anorthoclase, var. Sun-Moon Stone The combination of adularescent anorthoclase and aligned hematite forms "sun-moon stone" - this fascinating miniature is from the Potaninskie Mountains, Kasli, South Urals, Russia. Thanks to the Fersman Mineralogical Institute's table at the 2004 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Bikitaite A thumbnail blade of bikitaite (a hydrated lithium aluminum silicate and one of the zeolites) from the famous Foote Mine at Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina. Thanks to Tony Jones' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Boggsite A large thumbnail of a snow-white millimeter-sized boggsite (a zeolite) bead on colorless drusy tschernichite (another zeolite and the type locality is here as well) in basalt matrix from the type locality of the Highway 30 roadcut (Neer Road), Goble, Columbia County, Oregon. The only other location for boggsite is Antarctica. Ex: Phillips Collection. Thanks to Tom & Vicki Loomis at Dakota Matrix Minerals for the specimen and the image!
Row 8
Brewsterite A miniature of brewsterite (another zeolite) crystals on matrix from its type locality of the Whitesmith Mine, Strontian, Argyllshire, Scotland. Most brewsterite is this strontian end-member of the series. Thanks to Tony Jones' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Brewsterite-Ba Also from Strontian comes this rich miniature of brewsterite-Ba crystals on matrix. Ex: Tony Jones dealer. Thanks to David H. Garske's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Buddingtonite An unusual member of the feldspar group, this 4mm chip of massive buddingtonite (ammonium aluminum trisilicate) comes from Sharon Heights, Menlo Park, San Mateo County, California. Thanks to Chris Stefano's Christopher J. Stefano Fine Minerals auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!
Row 9
Bytownite Bytownite is the rare 30-10% sodium to 70-90% calcium member of the soda-lime feldspars - the material from Casas Grande, Chihuahua, Mexico, like this miniature, is gemmy enough to cut. Bytownite is named after Lt. Col. John By, who founded the village of Bytown in 1826 - later (1855) incorporated into Ottawa. Thanks to Amethyst Galleries, Inc. for the specimen and the image! Image copyrighted by Amethyst Galleries, Inc.	Cancrinite Cancrinite is a sodium calcium aluminum silicate with a carbonate cation. This cabinet specimen of bright orange cancrinite in matrix is from Blue Mountain, Nephton, Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada. Thanks to Darrell Merke's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Cancrinite A very rare pink cancrinite miniature from the famous Princess Quarry, Bancroft, Ontario, Canada. Thanks to Tom & Vicki Loomis at Dakota Matrix Minerals for the specimen!
Row 10
Chabazite This miniature of a yellow chabazite (another zeolite) crystal on a matrix of quartz and calcite, comes from the Upper New Street Quarry, (Burger's Quarry), West Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey and was collected by Jim Student in 1985. Thanks to Marvin Schwalb's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Chabazite A pretty miniature of pink chabazite from Wasson's Bluff, Parrsboro, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Thanks to Donna Lee Hanlon's (Donna's Treasures) auction on eBay for the specimen!	Chabazite Light-yellow chabazite rhombs line a seam in this impressive large cabinet specimen collected by Eric Greene in the Fall of 2001 from the Lane Quarry in Northfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts. Thanks to Eric Greene's (Treasure Mountain Mining) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 11
Chabazite (twinned) A rare thumbnail of twinned chabazite-Ca from the Maglovec andesite quarry, Vysna Sebastova, Presov Region, Slovakia. Thanks to Peter Zitnan's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Chabazite Bright golden yellow balls of chabazite are scattered on the matrix of this thumbnail from Centerville, Augusta County, Virginia. Ex. Dr. Steve Chamberlain and Donald Briggs Collections. Thanks to Michael Walter's Geologic Desires auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Chabazite-Mg Tiny transparent chabazite-Mg crystals on a green saponite matrix comprise this micro from the type and only locality of the Karikas Hill quarry, Praga Hill, Bazsi, Balaton Uplands, Veszprem County, Hungary. Chabazite-Mg is a new member of the chabazite and was approved in 2010. Thanks to Gabor Koller's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 12
Chabazite, var. Acadialite The orange to red and brown colors of chabazite are often called "acadialite". This miniature comes from somewhere in Mexico. Thanks to Juan Angel Tort-Figueroa of Torreon, Mexico, for the specimen!	Chabazite, var. Acadialite The Woodleaf Quarry in Woodleaf, Rowan County, North Carolina produces orange, interpenetrant chabazite twins - a hybrid of the acadialite and phacolite varieties. The diorite matrix of this museum piece is also host to an unidentified pale brown mineral (larger image, bottom left). Thanks to Denny Lawing's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Chabazite, var. Phacolite When chabazite-Ca occurs in colorless, interpenetrant twins it's called phacolite. This small cabinet piece is from Mount Lookout, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand. Thanks to Chris Auer's (Eureka Micromounts) auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!
Row 13
Chkalovite A miniature of white chkalovite (a sodium beryllium silicate) with (probable) gray orange-fluorescing sodalite and black aegirine from the tugutpite site locality of Kvanetjell, Ilimaussaq, Greenland. Thanks to Tony Nikischer at the Excalibur Mineral Company for the specimen!	Clinoptilolite Relatively unknown as specimens, clinoptilolite is one of the more useful zeolites (and the most abundant). Synthetic "clino" zeolite, in particular, traps ammonia very well, which makes it an essential part of cat litter and aquaria filters. This thumbnail, from the Richardson Ranch near Madras, Jefferson County, Oregon, is a beautiful rusty red. Thanks to Nature's Expressions' table at the 2000 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Clinoptilolite A miniature of drusy orange (and red, larger image, bottom row, right) clinoptilolite, also from the Richardson Ranch - this piece was collected over 20 years ago. Both this and my other Richardson Ranch clinos are probably clinoptilolite-Na, the sodium-rich member of the clinoptilolite-Ca and clinoptilolite-K triad. Thanks to Kevin Conroy's (Kevin Conroy Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 14
Clinoptilolite Clinoptilolite is sometimes white or pale-colored as in this thumbnail from (probably Succor Creek), Malheur County, Oregon. Clinoptilolite is also used to remove radioactive strontium and cesium from reactor wastewater. Thanks to Danielle Caron's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Clinoptilolite A third clino from the Richardson Ranch - this miniature of scattered deep orange clinoptilolite on matrix is Ex: Rudy Tschernich (2002) and Saul Krotki Collections. Thanks to Kraig Kessler's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Clinoptilolite-K Some of the traditional zeolite mineral names are now series names; clinoptilolite is one of them. This miniature of vermilion clinoptilolite-K (the potassium-rich endmember) is from the abandoned quarry at Honcova hurka, Príbor, Moravia, Czech Republic. The white needles are probably ferrierite-Mg, another zeolite. Thanks to Robert Vano's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 15
Cowlesite One of my few Scottish minerals, this rare zeolite, cowlesite, occurs as snow-white spherules on light-gray botryoidal cowlesite on matrix. It comes from Oisgill Bay, Duirinish, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Thanks to Kevin Conroy's (Kevin Conroy Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Dachiardite A good micro of white dachiardite (probably dachiardite-Ca) aggregates on matrix from the (now-closed) Gaulsberg Quarry,, Ortenberg, Vogelsberg, Hesse, Germany. It's the calcium analog of dachiardite-Na. Thanks to Thomas Kleser's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Dachiardite-Na An excellent thumbnail of radiating pink and red dachiardite-Na (another zeolite) on matrix from Ciamol Alp, Fassa Valley, Trento Province, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. It's the sodium analog of dachiardite-Ca. Thanks to David H. Garske's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!
Row 16
Danalite Two miniatures of pinkish-gray massive danalite (an iron beryllium silicate with sulfur) from near Shantou, Guangdong, China. Danalite forms two complete series; one with genthelvite, where zinc replaces the iron, and one with helvite, where manganese replaces the iron. Thanks to Alexander Falster's auction on eBay for the specimens!	Danburite Once classified as a sorosilicate but now a tectosilicate, danburite occurs in gemmy, transparent crystals like this thumbnail from Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The type locality is now buried somewhere under Danbury, Connecticut. Thanks to Jeff & Gloria's table at the 2000 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Danburite A gemmy danburite miniature with shimmery quartz from Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Row 17
Danburite A pale pink danburite miniature with quartz and micro calcite from Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.	Danburite This thumbnail twin of rare yellow danburite comes from Madagascar. I tweaked the color balance to make it appear more natural. Thanks to Throwin' Stones' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Danburite This danburite crystal thumbnail is colored blue by magnesioriebeckite for which this locale - Alto Chaparé district, Chaparé Province, Cochabamba Department, Bolivia - is the type locality. Thanks to Brian Kosnar's (Mineral Classics) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 18
Edingtonite A beautiful miniature of edingtonite (a barium aluminum zeolite) on calcite from the Ice River Valley, British Columbia, Canada. It has a Nature's Treasures tag. Thanks to Tony Jones' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Epistilbite A beautiful miniature comprising an epistilbite (another zeolite) ball, tiny blue quartz, and micro dark-green chlorite plates on a basalt matrix from Mumbai, India, probably the Malad (Kandivali) Quarry. Thanks to David H. Garske's (MINERALS and MORE) auction on eBay for the specimen!	Epistilbite Unfortunately, I have no better location than the Deccan Plateau in Maharashtra, India for this beautiful miniature of red epistilbite on quartz. Thanks to Krishna Pandey's (Superb Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 19
Erionite Erionite (another zeolite) usually occurs in a wool-like habit (erion is Greek for wool), but this thumbnail of erionite in basalt amygdules from Well #1, Ajo, Pima County, Arizona occurs in two different habits here. The vesicles are lined with an erionite crust (larger image, middle row, left) and some also have glassy, colorless crystals (larger image, remaining closeups). Thanks to Richard Dale's (Dale Minerals International) auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Fantappièite Tiny colorless fantappieite crystals in a vug from Fosso La Nova, Farnese, Làtera volcano, Viterbo Province, Latium, Italy. This thumbnail has been analyzed. Fantappieite is a member of the cancrinite group and is one of the largest mineral molecules with 903 atoms in the formula. No reference has the etymology of fantappieite but I would assume it's named after Luigi Fantappiè, the early 20th-century Italian mathematician. Thanks to Paolo Bracci's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Farneseite An excellent micro of stacked white hexagonal farneseite crystals on matrix from the type locality of Fosso della Nova, Farnese, Làtera volcano, Viterbo Province, Latium, Italy. This specimen has been analyzed. Farneseite is another member of the cancrinite group. Thanks to Paolo Bracci's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 20
Ferrierite Ferrierite is a rare zeolite - this one's from Monte Lake, British Columbia, Canada, just about 50 miles east from the type locality of Kamloops Lake. It's also manufactured synthetically for gas "cracking". This thumbnail also has a Microminerals International (Gatlinburg, Tennessee) label with it. Thanks to Dave Hayward at Lucky Strike Minerals for the specimen and the image!	Ferrierite More correctly ferrierite-Mg, this beautiful miniature of the magnesium-rich member of the ferrierite series is from the type locality of Kamloops Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It has a Gauthier Collection label. Thanks to Thomas Bee's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Garronite Another zeolite, this miniature of white garronite in basalt is from Superior, Pinal County, Arizona. Thanks to David H. Garske's (MINERALS and MORE) auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 21
Genthelvite Genthelvite's the zinc analog of helvite and danalite - this thumbnail of triangular habit genthelvite on matrix from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada glows yellow-green under longwave UV. Thanks to Arnaldo Brunetti's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Gmelinite Gmelinite (named after the German chemist, Ch. G. Gmelin) is a fairly rare zeolite - this beautiful orangish-tan specimen comes from the Sarbayskiy Mine in Kazakhstan and is associated with pyrite (larger image, bottom left) and magnetite (larger image, bottom right). Thanks to Chris Korpi at Pangaea Minerals for the specimen!	Gonnardite A micromount of fibrous gonnardite (another zeolite) on matrix from Klöch, Styria, Austria. Thanks to Don Smoley's Minerals & Gems' table at the 2002 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!
Row 22
Goosecreekite on Prehnite An excellent miniature of white goosecreekite (another calcium zeolite) sphericules on a pale-green prehnite matrix from the Nasik Quarry near Pashan, India. Thanks to Donna & David Stowell's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Harmotome A beautiful (though repaired) sharp lustrous druse of harmotome (another zeolite) crystals on matrix from the classic Bellsgrove Mine in Strontian, Scotland. Thanks to Eric Greene's (Treasure Mountain Mining) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Haüyne This transparent deep blue member of the sodalite group is haüyne (or haüynite) - it sells for upwards of $3000 / carat! This (estimated) 11-point cut stone and rough come from the Michels Quarry, Wingertsberg, Niedermendig, Eifel Mountains, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Thanks to SoCal Nevada's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 23
Helvite This very rare helvite (a manganese beryllium silicate with sulfur) comes from Rincon in northern San Diego County, California. The name comes from the Latin helvus meaning a light bay color in allusion to one of helvite's hues - its color is very composition dependent as it forms a complete series with both genthelvite (zinc replaces the manganese) and danalite (iron replaces the manganese). Thanks to Chris Korpi at Pangaea Minerals for the specimen!	Helvite A beautiful miniature of yellow helvite tetrahedra on albite from the March 2003 find at the Navegador Mine, Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Some of the helvite is coated with a green alteration "rind" of helvite but with a differing manganese content. The manganese content differs further in the two small light tan helvites shown in the closeup (larger image, bottom) Thanks to John Veevaert at Trinity Minerals for the specimen and the images!	Herschelite Some references consider herschelite to be a discredited name for chabazite-Na. Others show (at least) different crystallographic data. This miniature of herschelite-filled vesicles is from the Horseshoe Dam area in Maricopa County, Arizona. Thanks to Vince Olsovsky's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 24
Heulandite Heulandite's another one of the zeolites and like a lot of the high-quality zeolite specimens, this one comes from India. Thanks to Sam Curtsinger's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Heulandite A beautiful heulandite that's not from India - this golden brown one's from Paraná, Brazil. Thanks to Greg Bradbury at Crystalmaze for the specimen!	Heulandite A cute heulandite thumbnail from the Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India.
Row 25
Heulandite A beautiful purple heulandite with white stilbites on a bed of druzy quartz from Maharashtra State, India. Thanks to Sam Curtsinger's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Heulandite A misty green stack of heulandites from Jalgaon, India. Thanks to Tom Hales' (Museum Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen!	Heulandite Yellow heulandite on white mordenite from the Jalgaon District, Maharashtra State, India. Mordenite's one of the many zeolites that are also synthesized for industrial uses. Thanks to Dean Johnstone at mineralsfromindia.com for the specimen and the image!
Row 26
Heulandite Beautiful bright orange heulandite from Aurangabad, India. Thanks to Don Clauson's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Heulandite Gorgeous pink heulandite (actually heulandite-Ca) on bright white mordenite from the 2001 find on the Rat's Nest Claim, near Challis, Custer County, Idaho. Thanks to Tom & Vicki Loomis at Dakota Matrix Minerals for the specimen and the image!	Heulandite A cute thumbnail of bright red-orange heulandites from the unusual location of Bull & Sawpit Creek, Garrawilla Station, New South Wales, Australia. Thanks to C. Carter Rich's table at the 2003 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!
Row 27
Heulandite A pretty minaiture of deep-red heulandite on matrix from Pato Branco, Paraná, Brazil. Thanks to Don Smoley's Minerals & Gems' table at the 2004 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Heulandite A miniature of pink heulandite partially included by chlorite from somewhere in Maharashtra State, India.	Kalsilite A busy miniature comprising off-white needles of kalsilite (potassium aluminum silicate, larger image, center), reddish-brown phlogopite, yellow plates of melilte (larger image, bottom), white analcime, and black magnetite octahedra - all from the San Venanzo Quarry, Marsciano, Terni, Terni Province, Umbria, Italy. It has a 1980s David Shannon tag. Thanks to Claus Hedegaard's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 28
Lazurite A very nice lazurite thumbnail from the unusual locality of Ovalle, Chile. Thanks to Tom & Vicki Loomis at Dakota Matrix Minerals for the specimen and the image!	Lazurite Almost two pounds of lapis lazuli (lazurite, pyrite, and calcite) from Afghanistan, still the best locale for lazurite, even after thousands of years of mining! The larger image (bottom) shows a couple of embedded crystals of lazurite - it's easy to see why this was ground up to make ultramarine pigment! Thanks to Jim & Yolanda McEwen's (Lehigh Minerals) auction on eBay for the specimen!	Leifite A micromount of rare leifite (an aluminum sodium beryllium silicate) on matrix from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec, Canada. Thanks to Alexander Falster's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 29
Levyne Levyne (or levynite) is another zeolite - though fairly rare, there's enough interest in it that it's being synthesized along with non-silicates having its structure. Levyne is actually the generic name for either Levyne-Ca or Levyne-Na - I don't know which end of the series this micromount is. It's probably from the Lovozero Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia.	Liottite A miniature of white tabular hexagonal liottite (a member of the cancrinite group) crystals in vugs in a volcanic matrix from the type locality of Pitigliano, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. Thanks to Anthony Jones' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Marialite Marialite is the sodium-rich end member of the scapolite group (meionite's the calcium-rich end member) - this miniature is from the Singatse Range, near Yerington, Nevada. It also came with the original label it had when it was purchased from Hatfield Goudey in Yerington pre-1960 and is also from the Jack Streeter Collection. Thanks to Jan Garland's (Fine Rocks) auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 30
Meionite An excellent gemmy meionite (the calcium-rich end member of the scapolite group (marialite's the sodium-rich end member) thumbnail from Itaguacu (Itaguassu), Espírito Santo, Brazil. Thanks to C. Carter Rich's table at the 2003 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Merlinoite Colorless glassy crystals of merlinoite (a potassium calcium barium zeolite) on matrix from the type locality of the Cupaello Quarry, near Santa Rufina, Latium, Italy. Thanks to Anthony Jones' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Mesolite A cute thumbnail of mesolite from Ritter, Grant County, Oregon. This may be pseudomesolite - the locale's the same. Thanks to Ellen Bynum's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 31
Mesolite, var. Pseudomesolite This beautiful small cabinet specimen of pseudomesolite (the crystals are elongated differently from those of mesolite) from Ritter Hot Springs, Ritter, Grant County, Oregon. This zeolite's from the William Schultz Collection (1969). Thanks to North Star Minerals's table at the 2002 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Microcline, var. Amazonite Amazonite's the green variety of microcline and is often used in jewelry or as an ornamental stone. This cabinet cluster's from the classic location of Crystal Peak, Teller County, Colorado. This is one of the rare times when I had to postprocess the image - even so, it's still too light a green! Thanks to Dave Hayward at Lucky Strike Minerals for the specimen and the image!	Microcline, var. Amazonite This is a beautiful amazonite miniature from Pike's Peak, El Paso County, Colorado. It's preferentially coated with microscopic pyrite. The previous owners purchased it in the 1970's from the Copper City Rock Shop (566 E Ash St., Globe, Arizona, 85501-2296 520-425-7885). Thanks to Mary Sue Bailey's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!
Row 32
Microcline, var. Amazonite This gorgeous deeply-colored amazonite miniature is from the mid-summer 2003 find in Kenticha, Negele area (near Addis Ababa), Sidamo Province, Ethiopia. Thanks to Rob Lavinsky at The Arkenstone for the specimen and the image!	Microcline, var. Amazonite A beautiful large cabinet piece of amazonite from Lac Sairs, Quebec, Canada. Thanks to Sharon Burnett's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Mordenite A miniature of snow-white mordenite (another zeolite) from (probably) the Rat's Nest Claim, Challis, Custer County, Idaho. This specimen's from the Jack Streeter Collection and the label has the older name "ptilolite". Thanks to Jan Garland's (Fine Rocks) auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 33
Mordenite, var. Arduinite A beautiful old miniature of arduinite - the red rosette-habited variety of mordenite. Arduinite was once thought to be a distinct mineral and some older references give its composition as 2Na2O·CaO·Al2O3·8SiO3·8H2O which does not correspond to the zeolite compositional criteria. It's named after Giovanni Arduino and this specimen comes from Val Fassa, Italy and is ex: The Severns Collection, Holliston, Massachusetts. Thanks to Val Collins' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Natrolite Natrolite is one of the zeolites and this one from Poona, India also has some thin colorless tabular apophyllites attached.	Natrolite An old (collected in 1957) miniature of natrolite from the famous Kibblehouse Quarry, Perkiomenville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Thanks to Donald Fish's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!
Row 34
Natrolite This beautiful pink natrolite small cabinet specimen is also from the Kibblehouse Quarry. Thanks to Thomas Bee's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Oligoclase, var. Sunstone Unlike the Oregon (labradorite) sunstones, this miniature from the Scrub Oak Mine, near Dover, Randolph Township, Morris County, New Jersey is oligoclase-based. The body color is also due to hematite. Thanks to Tony Nikischer at the Excalibur Mineral Company for the specimen!	Orthoclase This Carlsbad twin orthoclase comes from the West Maroon Pass, Gothic, Gunnison County, Colorado. These were written up (by Henry Truebe, p. 363 - 368) in the 1977 Sep / Oct (vol. 8) Mineralogical Record. Thanks to Henry Truebe's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 35
Orthoclase, var. Adularia Adularia (moonstone) is a variety of orthoclase that's found in the Alps - this one, from the Adula Mountains, St. Gotthard, Ticino (Tessin), Switzerland, (the type locality) has a bunch of brown and green zoned titanites (larger photo, center) and a moderate coating of green chlorite (larger photo, bottom). The schiller is due to varying composition of two or more feldspars within the mineral. Thanks to the North Star Minerals' table at the 2000 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Orthoclase, var. Adularia An interesting miniature of white analcime and orange adularia in vesicles in basalt from the Knowlton Mine, Ontonagon County, Michigan. Thanks to Richard Koontz' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Orthoclase, var. Adularia Sharp (larger image, bottom right) but tiny black! adularia crystals in limestone from Protrero Chico, Monterrey, Zacatecas, Mexico. "Black" adularia crystals from other locales often have pumpellyite inclusions - that may be the case here. Thanks to Alexander Falster's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!
Row 36
Orthoclase, var. Adularia, var. Valencianite This is a beautiful cabinet piece of the subvariety of adularia known as valencianite - it's named after the Valenciana Silver Mine in Guanajuato, Mexico (where this specimen came from - the type locality). Thanks to Cathy Krismanits' (Southwestern Sales) auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Offretite An excellent cork-mounted micro of offretite (yet another zeolite) needles in a vug from Burro Creek, Yavapai County, Arizona. Molecular sieves with the offretite structure may be useful as hydrocarbon catalytic converters. Thanks to Jake Slagle's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Perthite Sometimes albite is intergrown with amazonite (or orthoclase) - this pretty thumbnail is from the Kola Peninsula in Russia.
Row 37
Perthite This large cabinet chunk of beautiful red perthite is from the type locality, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada. Thanks to Joe Vasichko's Rockmanjoe Minerals auction on eBay for the specimen!	Petalite This facetable thumbnail of petalite (a lithium aluminum tetrasilicate) is from Tanzania, Africa. Massive petalite is often mined for its lithium content. Thanks to Mark Steven's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Petalite A small cabinet chunk of massive lavender petalite from the Bikita deposit (Masvingo District) in Zimbabwe, South Africa. It's translucent enough to cab for jewelry, but most petalite from this locale is used in ceramic glazing ("lithium glaze") and in glass. It has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion and is a constituent of 'ceramic' stovetops and Corningware®-type cookware. Thanks to Val Collin's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!
Row 38
Phillipsite Phillipsite (a rare zeolite) clusters in microvugs in basalt from the Horseshoe Dam area, Maricopa County, Arizona. There's also transparent colorless analcime pyritohedrons (an unusual form). Thanks to Charles Creekmur's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Pollucite Often called "cesium beryl", this zeolite occurs with beryl and other pegmatic gemstones and, if transparent, can be faceted. This small miniature's from the Bennett Quarry, Buckfield, Oxford County, Maine. Pollucite's the only mineral that always has cesium in its composition and is the primary ore of cesium. Cesium's a catalyst and used in atomic clocks, and as cesium formate (CsCOOH), a biodegradeable, effective drilling fluid. Thanks to Graeber & Himes' table at the 2000 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen!	Pollucite Pollucite usually looks like this - rather unnoticeable. This small cabinet piece from Oxford County, Maine does have some deep lavender veinlets of lepidolite (larger picture, right) running through it. Pollucite forms a series with analcime. Thanks to Alexander Falster's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 39
Pollucite Occasionally pollucite is gemmy enough to cut - the original facetable material came from Maine; this etched miniature comes from Paprok, Nuristan, Afghanistan.	Reedmergnerite Pale orange reedmergnerite (a sodium borosilicate and the boron analog of albite) crystal fragments and white feldspar comprise this micro from the Darai-Pioz glacial pegmatite in the Tien Shan Mountains, Tajikistan. So far, it's the only borosilicate in the feldspar group. A synthetic potassium analog has been created. Thanks to Mike Petrov's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Roggianite An excellent miniature of white elongated fibrous crystals of roggianite (another zeolite) on a white albite matrix (hard to photograph!) from the type locality of Alpe Rosso, Vigezzo Valley, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province, Piedmont, Italy. It's cyrrently the only zeolite with beryllium in its composition. Thanks to Luca DeBattisti's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!
Row 40
Sanidine An old specimen of a flattened sanidine crystal (another feldspar group mineral) slightly protruding from a trachyte matrix. This miniature comes from the type locality of Drachenfels, Konigswinter, Siebengebirge, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Thanks to Tony Nikischer at the Excalibur Mineral Company for the specimen!	Scapolite Scapolite can be used as a gemstone but it's not well known and not quite hard enough for rings - the colors (larger photo, right), however, as in this specimen from Aracruz, Espirito Santo, Brazil, are very strong and unique. Thanks to Tom & Vicki Loomis at Dakota Matrix Minerals for the specimen!	Scapolite This beautiful violet scapolite crystal comes from Tanzania. Thanks to Frank Butler's auction on eBay for the specimen and image!
Row 41
Scapolite on Diopside A handsome miniature of beige scapolite on dark green diopside from Maniwaki, Gatineau County, Québec, Canada. This locale is famous for the quality of its scapolite. Thanks to Jean-Rene Drapeau's auction on eBay for the specimen and images!	Scapolite A small cabinet piece of massive blue scapolite from Fort Coulonge Province, Québec, Canada. Parts of the specimen fluoresce yellow under longwave UV (larger image, bottom right). Thanks to Sharon Burnett's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Scolecite A small miniature of scolecite (another zeolite) from India - the closeup shows some attached doubly-terminated scalenohedrons of ivory calcite.
Row 42
Sodalite Massive sodalite is used for carvings and architecture. This 22 cm chunk's from Brazil.	Sodalite More sodalite - this smaller one's from Bancroft, Ontario, Canada. Thanks to Willis Williams' auction on eBay for the specimen!	Sodalite A beautiful polished miniature of sodalite and feldspar from the Princess Sodalite Mine, Bancroft, Ontario, Canada. Thanks to Alexander Falster's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 43
Sodalite Three pounds of sodalite, probably from Bancroft, with a polished face. Thanks to Paula Tyer's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Sodalite, var. Hackmanite Hackmanite's the purple (or pink) variety of sodalite - this brilliant thumbnail's from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada.When exposed to UV (or even sunlight!) the purple darkens to almost black, then slowly returns to normal after a few days. This tenebrescent behavior is caused by a small amount of sulfur in the hackmanite crystal structure. Thanks to Darrel Merke's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Sodalite, var. Hackmanite A miniature polished slab of hackmanite from the Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia with similar tenebrescence. Thanks to SoCal Nevada's auction on eBay for the specimen and images!
Row 44
Sodalite, var. Hackmanite Another Mont Sainte-Hilaire hackmanite miniature. Thanks to Greg Lesinski's (GSL ROCKS) auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Stellerite on Heulandite A stellerite fan (upper right) on heulandite from India. Stellerite's another one of the zeolites. Thanks to Dean Johnstone at mineralsfromindia.com for the specimen!	Stellerite This specimen from India is all stellerite on matrix. Thanks to Dean Johnstone at mineralsfromindia.com for the specimen!
Row 45
Stellerite A very nice miniature of stellerite fans on matrix.	Stilbite on Apophyllite Two light peach-colored stilbites rising out of a clear apophyllite mist from India. Thanks to David Wolfe's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Stilbite This is a classic Pennsylvania stilbite specimen from Barber's Quarry (near O'Neill's Quarry), Frankford (now a northeast Philadelphia suburb). Here, the stilbite occurs in granite seams and fissures and can't achieve its typical "wheat-sheaf" habit - instead it occurs as a beautiful radial "frosted windowpane" only a few millimeters thick (larger image, lower right) and even thinner on the "back". This cabinet piece used to be part of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History collection. Thanks to Steve Carter at Penn Minerals for the locale information!
Row 46
Stilbite A gorgeous miniature of bright yellow stilbite on matrix with pyrite (there's also a beautiful pink unidentified mineral present - may be rose orthoclase, larger image, bottom, left, which appears to turn yellow near the pyrite, larger image, bottom, right) from the Malmberget (iron) Mine in Gällivare, Lappland, Sweden. Thanks to Hal & Polly Prior's (H&P Minerals and Gems) auction on eBay for the specimen! Thanks also to Aksel Österlöf for the orthoclase possibilty!	Stilbite A cute small miniature of white stilbite with heulandite from Poona, India. Thanks to Marvin Schwalb's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Stilbite An equally cute small miniature of peach stilbite, also from Poona, India. Thanks to Marvin Schwalb's auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 47
Stilbite A beautiful small cabinet cluster of pink stilbite on matrix, probably from India. Thanks to Dan Best's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Stilbite Another Malmberget stilbite - this small cabinet piece is a very rare green (colored by iron) and has a cluster of corroded amethyst on the back (larger image, bottom). Ex: James F. Carryer Collection. Thanks to the Shadyside Mining Company's table at the 2003 Carnegie Gem & Mineral Show for the specimen! Thanks also to Aksel Österlöf for the identification of the amethyst!	Stilbite An excellent Malmberget stilbite thumbnail - this one has three sheafs dominating the front and almost a stilbite druse on the back - and it's a beautiful orangeish-yellow! Thanks to Jan Garland's (Fine Rocks) auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 48
Stilbite An impressive small cabinet specimen of dark-pink stilbite with apophyllite from Jalgaon, Maharashtra State, India. Thanks to Don Clauson's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Tetranatrolite An excellent miniature of tetranatrolite (a dehydration product of paranatrolite, both zeolites) balls (larger image, top right) on matrix along with black aegirine needles, calcite (larger image, bottom left) and an unidentified mineral (larger image, bottom right) from the type locality of the Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. The tetranatrolite glows bright yellow under longwave UV and the matrix has some orange-fluorescing sodalite (and hackmanite) present. Thanks to Jonathan Levinger's auction on eBay for the specimen! Thanks also to Jacques Poulin for the identification of the tetranatrolite and calcite!	Thomsonite Thomsonite's another rare zeolite - this cute thumbnail comes from the Jaquish Roadcut, Goble, Columbia County, Oregon. Like a lot of the zeolites, thomsonite's been synthsized for industrial uses. Thanks to Walter Mroch's (The Gem and Mineral Exploration Company) auction for the specimen and the image!
Row 49
Thomsonite Another Oregon thomsonite - this miniature has thomsonite balls and possible cowlesite (larger image, bottom left) and analcime (larger image, bottom center) hiding in a basaltic fissure. It's a wonderful old James F. Carryer Collection piece, but I don't have any better locality information than just "Oregon".	Thomsonite, var. Lintonite An 11 mm waterworn nodule of lintonite from the Grand Marais, Minnesota north shore of Lake Superior (varietal type locality) - this variety of thomsonite is often made into jewelery. Thanks to Mike Shell's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Tschernichite One of the rarest of the zeolites, tschernichite occurs as microscopic colorless crystals, as in this thumbnail of intergrown crystals on iron-rich clay from the (co-)type locality of Neer Road, Goble, Columbia County, Oregon. Thanks to Saul Krotki's auction on eBay for the specimen and the 20X photomicrographs!
Row 50
Tugtupite Bright pink tugtupite (a sodium aluminum beryllium silicate with chlorine) on albite from the type locality of the Tugtup agtakorfia, Ilímaussaq massif, Greenland - it's often cabbed as a gemstone. Thanks to John Veevaert at Trinity Minerals for the specimen and the image!	Ussingite A beautiful pink micromount of ussingite (a sodium aluminum hydroxysilicate) from Mount Yukspor, Khibina Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Though rare, it's often tumbled for jewelry. It's named after N.V. Ussing of Copenhagen. Thanks to Thomas Bee's auction on eBay for the specimen!	Vishnevite Bright blue crystals of vishnevite (a sodium calcium aluminum silicate with a carbonate, chloride, and sulfate cation) in matrix comprise this miniature from the type locality of the Ilmen-Vishnevye Mountains, Urals Region, Russia. It's a member of the cancrinite group and is often called "sulfatic cancrinite". Thanks to David Kalat's (Rockshop.cz - Online Shop) auction on eBay for the specimen!
Row 51
Willhendersonite An excellent micro of white spherical clusters of willhendersonite (a zeolite isostructural with chabazite) on matrix from the type locality of the now-closed Vispi Quarry, San Venanzo, Marsciano, Terni Prov, Umbria, Italy. Thanks to Paolo Bracci's auction on eBay for the specimen and the image!	Wilsonite This large miniature from Minden, Halliburton County, Ontario, Canada, contains pink wilsonite. Wilsonite is altered manganese-bearing scapolite (pinite) and is typically pink to lavender from this locale and tan to light-gray from New Zealand. Some references consider it a variety (sericite) of muscovite. It makes beautiful carvings. Thanks to Tina Awald's auction on eBay for the specimen and the images!	Yugawaralite on Gyrolite A thumbnail of yugawaralite (yet another zeolite) on gyrolite from the Khandivali Quarry, near Bombay, Maharashtra State, India. Thanks to Tony Jones' auction on eBay for the specimen!

maintained by: Alan Guisewite

Last Update 24 Aug 2015