Analcime with Natrolite and Aegirine

Item Description

A classic association specimen from what is certainly one of the greatest mineral localities in history. The famous Poudrette Quarry at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec, Canada has produced hundreds of species, and they are some of the most distinctive minerals you'll see from any place in the world. Some of the finest crystals of the zeolite species Analcime ever found have come from this locality, and this piece is a great example featuring a textbook trapezohedral crystal of a stark white hue measuring 2.2 cm across, sitting atop a matrix of prismatic cream colored Natrolite crystals along with contrasting dark green-black Aegirine. A few smaller Analcime crystals can be seen as well on the piece, but it's the main crystal that's the focus of the specimen, as it's pristine all around, and sits prominently at the top of the piece. The specimen also sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay. A great example of this world-famous material. This piece was collected in April of 1981 by Ernie Schlichter.
Ex George Loud Collection No. 450 CAN.6; 3676 George (born August 16, 1942) is a well-known mineral collector from Washington, DC and South Carolina respectively, and was a patent lawyer by trade for over 50 years. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the U.S., comprising worldwide specimens, and in later years he sold the worldwide specimens to focus on minerals of the United States, specifically locality suites with an emphasis on amazing representation of species while still maintaining fine quality. The specimens remarkably range from micros to all the way up to large cabinets in size. We recently acquired most of his impressive 9000+ piece collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality specimens for their collections.
See: https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/george-loud for more information