Cryolite

Unknown Owner

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Fine cryolite specimens from Ivigtut in Greenland have been known for more than a century. However, specimens of cryolite, a sodium aluminum fluoride, from the alkaline deposit at Mt. St. Hilaire are far less common and excellent 3-dimensional crystals like this have come from just a few pockets. This well formed crystal is frosted with a sparkly second generation druse, atop a very sharp, trasnslucent, 3-dimensional crystal. It is translucent and colorless and reaches 1.6 cm in length - better in person, this is one of the few "pretty" cryolites overall, we have seen from here. Also, many of these have been altered to sodalite (and lose translucency), but this remains unaltered. Likely from the 2001 pocket. Purchased directly from the collector, Gilles Haineult, in Tucson of 2002. Joe Budd photos