Babingtonite and Prehnite with Quartz

Item Description

Babingtonite was once a rare mineral species. When I grew up in the 1980s as a mineral collector, we had to pay a fortune for a 1 cm babingtonite crystal from the USA East Coast localities, if we wanted one (Massachusetts, mostly - sometimes a Connecticut piece). Interestingly, Babingtonite was designated the official state mineral of Massachusetts in 1971 and those remained pretty much best of species until China stomped them into the ground, for the worldwide collector who does not mind localities. The early 2000s finds in China had the best luster, never superseded by later Chinese finds, in our opinion. The finds spread across a large deposit and two provinces of China. This older material is from the Meigu locality in Sichuan (near the home of the Pandas, to add location info we can relate to!). Although larger crystals by far were found, most with real luster, such as this, reached about 2-4 cm in size. This crystal cluster is 3 cm across, with individual crystals to 2.5 cm. It is stunning, sharp, and perfect. The crystal cluster rests on pastel apple green prehnite, accented by little gemmy quartz points. If in China today, this would cost north of $2000 to buy, even from an old stash. In the American market, we simply do not see this quality persisting in availability for sale. The luster can be enhanced by coatings, of course, but this is natural and obvious with no treatments. The combination of size, balance, and aesthetics makes this a more valuable specimen in our eyes, compared to the vast production of lesser quality. It is ALL sparkly - quartz, prehnite, and babingtonite too! Valued $2500-3500 quite fairly.