Benitoite

Unknown Owner

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At least 1 dozen crystals, many reaching 1.0 to 1.3 cm in size, festoon this white natrolite on matrix with a rich covering of benitoite, the California state gemstone. Rarely do we see such richly aggregated benitoite on a piece! I bought this out of a longtime friend's personal collection, and he had prepped and prepared it many years ago from old rough material mined here. Specimens this rich are always treasured, always rare; and this remains the only location in the world to produce the famous "blue triangles" in any quality. Sadly, the locality is severely diminished after being mined since the early 1900s, and little of note has been found since the early 2000s. No repairs. No damage. Just a huge number of blue triangles with color and luster!