Scapolite - Kukh-i-Lal, Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan

Scapolite

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Wow! There is nothing remotely gemmy about this Scapolite crystal, but my word, what a fabulous crystal it is. I could imagine this in a museum showcase where perfectly developed crystals are displayed alongside their wooden or plaster-cast model equivalents. This splendid crystal is from Kukh-i-Lal in the Pyandzh River Valley of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. At almost 6.5 cm tall and 3.3 x 3.2 cm in cross section, the opaque, mottled and patchy, pale pear green and cream tetragonal crystal terminates with a characteristic, low-angled, four-sided shallow pyramid. A small, 1.5 cm high crystal is attached in parallel at the base. Under LWUV the crystals fluoresce patchy creamy to greenish-white in accordance with the variation in colours in white light. An excellent example of a Scapolite crystal from Kukh-i-Lal.