Vesuvianite

Unknown Owner

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Overall, the finest vesuvianites in the world came from this great Jeffrey open pit asbestos mine in Quebec (in the 1980s). Now closed, the mine produced limited specimens of the aesthetic quality of this cluster, which is gemmy and lustrous with a very pleasing and unusually strong apple green color. Moreover, this has both color AND luster, at the top of each. There are four dominant, stout crystals in the main group that are between 2 and 3 cm in length with others between 3 mm and 1 cm in length and all of them are translucent in the core and transparent around the rim. This is a relatively large, important cluster of green vesuvianite crystals from the glory hole finds of the mid 1980s at this unique asbestos quarry that produced surely the world's best examples of this species. Crystals of this size and robust form were rare then and more so now. The large crystals are all terminated with some doubly so and the color is juicy and beautiful. This is a stunning small cabinet piece of a quality hard to find in the marketplace and only become available in old collections when they come up like Jack Halpern's. A gorgeous, lustrous group of vesuvianite crystals! Featured in the book Addicted to Beauty: The Legacy of Jack Halpern (Mineralogical Record, March 2025) on page 147, fig. 149.