Name: Catapleiite with Natrolite and Aegirine
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 7500 USD
Availability: InStock

Catapleiite with Natrolite and Aegirine

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A superb, unusually well-formed and large catapleiite rosette associated with natrolite and aegirine from the classic locality of Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. Mont Saint-Hilaire is one of the greatest contemporary classic localities in the world for its diversity of species as well as having the best-of-species title for many rare minerals not to mention being the type locality for 74 species which is absolutely remarkable! The big, pale peach-pink, pseudo-hexagonal catapleiite crystal group on this exceptional piece measures 3.4 cm across and is sharply formed all around. It is composed of numerous, transparent to translucent, bladed crystals that overlap in slightly staggered layers to create the flattened, and very attractive rosette-like aggregate. The catapleiite is set perfectly front-and-center on the piece with an almost jackstraw-cluster of prismatic, white natrolite crystals from 1 to 3.5 cm, comprising much of the remainder of the piece. There are several, lustrous, stubby, blackish, prismatic aegirine crystal on the piece, one 1.6 cm crystal at the top and a few smaller, variably complete ones on the back. This is an exceptional catapleiite specimen and a great combination piece from Mont Saint-Hilaire. This is from a famous pocket of the late 1980s and such pieces are now only seen in a few museums and major older private collections. This is one of the more significant Canadian minerals in terms of best of species representation and it also comes with Paul Stahl's label from when it was displayed at the Munich Show in one of his very well reviewed exhibitions of rare species matched to show themes (in this case, the year of native elements).