Calcite (ex Robert Batic Collection)

Item Description

The Fanwood Quarry (sometimes called the Weldon Quarry) is a large quarry in the First Watchung Mountain, which has been owned and operated by the Weldon family since the 1890's. In the early 2000s, the Fanwood Quarry produced some of the most magnificent Prehnite "casts" after Glauberite in the world, along with some associated Calcite specimens. These two minerals were primarily the only species found at Fanwood over the last 10+ years. This piece features no Prehnite, but it does host attractive, sharp, well-formed, translucent, silvery-beige colored rhombs of Stilbite measuring up to 1.8 cm across on matrix. The piece is undamaged as far as I can see with the naked eye, thought some small imperfections can probably be found with a loupe, and of course the periphery is contacted where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. You don't see a lot Calcites from this locality on the market anymore, and from what I understand, nothing is coming out anymore as the crystal-bearing pockets are all but gone now. From the collection of Robert (Bob) Batic whose label accompanies the piece, and states that it originally came from Frank Imbriacco, who most likely collected the piece himself.