Calcite (rare old New Jersey locale)

Item Description

Sharply crystallized calcite is rare and outstanding large specimens, such as this impressive piece, are VERY RARE from this old quarry started in about 1895. Thomas Alva Edison (yes, light bulb Edison) operated the quarry in 1906 (MINDAT). The quarry mined both Precambrian Franklin Marble and overlying microcline gneiss for lime, aggregate and the marble for landscaping blocks. The sculptural mounded 270-degree piece is composed of a myriad of lustrous, translucent, straw-yellow, parallel-growth dogtooth calcite crystals. The large crystals on the pointed end reach about 3.5 cm. Interestingly, most of the crystals on the prominent long side have a preferential frosted oxide overgrowth, with crystals on the short long side being nice and glassy. Periphery wear on one end is certainly acceptable in the context of this old specimen. Ghostly white fluorescence. Old-time RARE and rich New Jersey calcite from the locale from an East Coast collection. This exceptional piece has multiple display views. A must for the species or locality collector.